Dawn was born in the morning of November 22, 1963 at Memorial Hospital in St. Joseph, Michigan, the same day that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas.   She grew up in Watervliet, MI and graduated with the Watervliet High School Class of 1982.  Dawn worked for several years in the finance division of Whirlpool Financial.  Outside of work she loved cooking and baking, watching golf, (especially the Western Am at Point of Woods), cross stitching, and boating with family and friends.  Dawn had an eclectic taste in music, enjoying artists from Pink Floyd to Dean Martin.  Dawn was a world traveler.  She lived coast to coast in the United States; Kailua, Hawaii; Okinawa, Japan; and Tokyo, Japan.

Dawn's greatest joy came in spending time with her loving family which includes her husband of 24 years, Kevin D. Smith of Granger, IN; her three children, Lauren Smith (21), Evan Smith (18), and Julie Smith (14) all of Granger; her parents, Jack and Marcia VanDrasek (Ison) of Watervliet, MI; and her sister and brother-in-law, Cheryl and Ken Benjamin (VanDrasek) of Coloma, MI.  Dawn also has aunts, cousins, and one uncle.

Dawn passed away on Tuesday, November 13, 2018 and cremation has taken place.   A memorial service celebrating her life will be held at Hutchins Funeral Home in Watervliet, MI on Saturday, November 24, 2018 at 12:00 PM with visitation starting one hour prior to the service at 11:00 AM.  Memorials may be made in Dawn's memory to St. Jude Children's Hospital.  You are invited to leave a message of comfort for Dawn's family.