Dawn Lee Thompson

It is with great sadness that the family of Dawn L. Thompson announces her death, which occurred in her Charlottesville, VA home on Thursday, August 31, 2017 at 11:15 pm. She died after surviving nine years with brain cancer. Dawn was born in Alexandria, VA on October 9, 1946 to Evelyn (Fitton) Thompson and William D. Thompson who preceded her in death. Dawn will be lovingly remembered by her husband John D’earth, her children, Daphne D’earth Latham and Ian Sigmund, her brother, Brett Thompson, her sister, Terri Garver, her nephews, William Thompson and Johnny Garver, her niece, Courtney Garver, and her granddaughter, Mirabelle Luna Metcalfe. Dawn was a noted singer/songwriter/poet, a beloved UVA voice instructor, and a role model for several generations of creative musicians who were inspired by her artistry, her ideas, and her sound. During the seventies she lived in New York City establishing her band, Cosmology, with musicians like drummer Robert Jospe, guitarist John Abercrombie, and her life-long musical collaborator, and husband, John D’earth. She was an instrumental force in generating the famously vibrant music scene Charlottesville is known for today. A founding member of the Prism Coffee House, before moving to New York, her return, with her band and her music in the eighties, had an inspirational effect on local musicians some of whom are now well known. Dawn also served on Charlottesville’s Board of Architectural Review for eight years in an effort to protect and preserve Charlottesville's buildings and properties in the historic district. Dawn Thompson’s Memorial Celebration will take place on Sunday, September 17th, at 1:00 PM, at the Jefferson Theater on Charlottesville’s Downtown Mall. The family asks, in lieu of flowers, please donate to the SPCA, local Hospice, or Environmental Groups.