Dawn Elizabeth Caswell

Dawn Caswell, 90, passed away on Tuesday, Nov. 8 at Wickersham House AssistedLiving in Wasilla, AK where she resided for a little over a year. She is survived by herdaughter-in-law, Judy Caswell of Titusville, FL, her Alaskan friends, several nephews,nieces, and their families in various states. She was preceded in death by her husband,Bill, in 2017, her son Ron, in 2019, and her siblings and parents.Dawn Caswell, the youngest of 5 children was born during the Great Depression, in 1932in Endwell, NY. She was always proud that her father had worked for the WPA andcherished being spoiled by her mother as the youngest in her family. At an early ageDawn loved school excelling in math and was named Valedictorian of her senior class.During her senior year, Dawn met the love of her life, Bill Caswell, while working at anice cream shop. Dawn went on to attend college her freshman year while Bill served inthe military in Korea. Upon his return from service Bill asked Dawn to marry him andthat started their love and adventures that lasted over 64 years. In 1954, they had their sonRon, who shared their love of adventure.Dawn and Bill started their married life in Pennsylvania in 1952. Dawn returned tocollege and received her bachelor’s degree. This led her to teaching as well as being aswimming coach.Just shortly before their 25th wedding anniversary Dawn and Bill came to Alaska to starttheir Alaska adventures. They built their own house in 1979 and proudly lived in it forthe rest of their married days.Dawn started teaching at Wasilla High School where she taught for 10 years. She thenwent on to teach at MatSu college. She helped hundreds of students learn to appreciateand understand math. She was also a swim and volleyball coach.Dawn and Bill traveled in Alaska from Kodiak to the Pribilof Islands to Barrow, andmany points in between. They loved to fish, hunt and search for fossils. Their greatestshared love was gardening.Dawn made a difference in her community through her love of teaching, her coaching,and her gardening. Dawn served as Valley Garden Club president for several years. Shealso enjoyed volunteering at the Alaska State Fair Cabbage and Pumpkin weigh offs. Dawn’s greatest pride was her son Ron, who was an accomplished engineer for NASA atthe Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Dawn loved sharing photos of Ron’s projects onthe various spacecrafts that included the International Space Station (ISS), 5 differentshuttles, and the Antares rocket in Wallops Island, Virginia. One of her proudestmoments was accompanying Ron in 2002 when he received a Lockheed Martin SpaceOperations Top Flight Award in Houston for his outstanding community service effortsin promoting Lockheed Martin Space Operations and NASA Space Programs to youthgroups, teachers, and numerous professional organizations.In her final years, Dawn was surrounded by many deeply caring friends. The care andlove she also received at Wickersham House Assisted Living helped make her days easieras she faced declining health. With the support from others, Dawn bravely faced manystruggles the last 10 years but now has rejoined her family that she so dearly missed.A celebration of life will be held in the spring when the flowers are blooming. Donationsto the Valley Garden Club can be made in honor of Dawn’s life and love of gardening.