Dawn was born on September 16, 1957 at Ellsworth AFB in South Dakota outside Rapid City. As an Air Force brat, she lived in Germany, and North Carolina before settling in Sparta, New Jersey in 1966. Dawn graduated from Sparta High School in 1975 and then headed out to Colorado to attend Denver Automotive and Diesel College where she graduated with honors and worked as an auto mechanic. She then came back east and lived in Pennsylvania for 2 years, helping her dad rebuild his farm and then settled in Frederick, Maryland. There Dawn worked as a mechanic and a vet tech before completing her Associates Degree in Science Technologies at Frederick Community College, then working in the radiology department at Frederick Memorial Hospital for 24 years.
After her first bout with cancer, she decided she wanted to get out of an office setting and she worked at Lowe’s in the Garden Center until she was no longer able. In May 2019, Dawn came back to the New Jersey area, living in Lake Lenape, Andover, New Jersey.
Dawn was always known as an adventurous free spirit and deep thinker who loved nature and animals – cats, birds, dogs, snakes and animals of any kind. At one time she had a pet white rat…she tried to move onto a pet snake, but mom drew the line. She also loved driving a fast car and was always up for a good time.
She took an interest in many things and when something caught her attention, she would dig into the subject matter with the fervor of a Ph.D. candidate – cars, family ancestry, English history, Frederick County MD and Sussex County NJ history, Native Americans, astronomy, psychology and spirituality.
She loved discussing any topic and everyone who met her always described her as genuine and easy-to-talk-to with a great sense of humor.
Dawn loved her family and was especially close to and thankful for her mom, Marjorie Taylor, whose caring, commitment and friendship was with Dawn every minute of every day of her cancer journey. She will be greatly missed by her family and friends. She is being greeted in heaven by her Dad- Dale Helton, grandparents and aunts & uncles & cousins and a few friends, as well as her beloved pets including Jake, Tasha, Skimo, Pog and Kelley.
Still here and missing her are her mom and stepdad- Marjorie and Ned Taylor, her brother and spouse – Doug and Mary Helton, her sisters and their spouses- Jennifer and Steve Piniaha, Christina and Steve Schoeppner, Joy and Frank Scarborough, and her stepbrothers and stepsisters and their spouses – Marjorie and Jim Hickey, Diane and Mark Forsythe, Gene and Tina Taylor, Bill and Marta Taylor, Dalton and Gerry Soster, Jacqui and Steve Sobol and her beloved nieces and nephews –including Nicole and Jeff Salmeri, Carly Piniaha Michael Helton, and Jackson & Odin Salmeri. She also leaves behind many loving aunts, uncles and cousins, and friend Bill King.
The family wants to thank the entire extended family and our friends and neighbors who have touched Dawn’s life and been so supportive to all of us over the years and during these final months. We are so appreciative for your love and support that saw Dawn and all of us through.
Funeral arrangements are entrusted under Goble Funeral Home 22 Main St., Sparta, NJ 07871. A Celebration of Life is anticipated sometime in July.
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