Gretchen Dawson
Jun 28th, 2022
Gretchen Dawson, 66, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her family on June 28, 2022. She will be remembered as a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend.
Gretchen was born on July 2, 1955 to John and Gail Klaiber in Springfield, MA before moving to Bridgewater, MA where she was raised. In her youth she loved to ride and care for horses, competing in horse jumping and horse show events with her sister, Polly. She attended Bridgewater-Raynham High School before obtaining her bachelor’s degree in Recreation Studies from Ithaca College and master’s degree in Therapeutic Recreation from Michigan State.
After college, Gretchen moved to Cape Cod where she lived for the remainder of her life. She married David Dawson and raised a family of three in Yarmouth, engraining herself in the local community. For almost twenty years she worked at Maplewood Senior Living Center in West Yarmouth as the Activity and Recreations Director and later as their Memory Care Director.
Patient, funny, and kind, Gretchen truly warranted the nickname, “Saint Gretchen”. Her free time was almost always spent at the beach with her friends and family (“Smugs” or Middle Beach were her favorites) or out shopping for “any good deals” at Marshall’s. She was truly a selfless and caring person - she lived life for her kids and grandkids, who lovingly called her “Gigi”, and enjoyed spending as much time with them as possible.
Gretchen will be missed tremendously by all those who knew and loved her. She is survived by her husband of thirty-four years, David, her three children, Andrew and his wife Erin, Matthew, and Abigail. She is also survived by her mother Gail, her sister Polly and her three grandchildren Emmett, Nora and Shea.
Relatives and friends are invited to call at the Hallett Funeral Home, 273 Station Ave., South Yarmouth MA on Thursday, July 7 from 2:00-5:00 P.M. followed by an open repass meal at the Cape Cod Irish Village, Route 28, South Yarmouth. A private celebration of life will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in Gretchen’s name to research through the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at www.dana-farber.org/gift or the Nicholas G. Xiarhos Memorial Foundation Fund at https://capecodfoundation.fcsuite.com/erp/donate/create?funit_id=1586.