Dawn Weston Obituary

Weston, Dawn Thompson Born on April 15, 1919 in Joliet, Illinois to Vivian and Cyril Thompson, was the oldest of 4 sisters, Betty, Rachel and Blythe. She died in Lake Forest at the age of 96. Dawn completed her B.Sc. at Northwestern University, where she met and married, in 1940, Arthur Walter Weston, a chemist who later became VP Director of Research and Development at Abbott Laboratories; he died in 2010. They had 3 children, Roger Lance (Pamela), Winnetka; Randall Kent (Denna), Chicago; and Cynthia Brooke (Harvey), Montreal. Dawn has 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Dawn, a gifted artist, was a founding member of the Deerpath Art League in Lake Forest. She was also a certified teacher in Illinois and taught for 37 years in Waukegan, Lake Bluff and Lake Forest Schools. In the early 1960s, Dawn and a colleague started the Grove School for brain injured children, where she pioneered helping special needs children express themselves through art. She later became Educational Director of the Grove School and was named Citizen of Year in 1978. Eventually, she became a lobbyist and major force in changing laws in Illinois to require school districts to educate special needs children. In 1970, Dawn completed a Master's degree at Northwestern, studying brain injury; this complemented her many years of experience with Grove School. She won an award from the Juvenile Protective Society in 2008 for her pioneering work with Grove School. Further, she was one of a triad who conceived of a senior center for Lake Bluff and Lake Forest, which remains today a top community organization. Dawn was an ardent believer, contributor and respected member of the Grace United Methodist Church for half a century. She was a delegate to the annual Methodist conference from 198290. Dawn had enormous energy, was vivacious, and lit up any room with her laugh. She spoiled her family with love and affection and was always their biggest fan. Until her final moments on this earth, Dawn was a positive, loving, gracious soul. We were blessed to have her in our lives. A funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m. at Grace United Methodist Church in Lake Bluff, on Thursday, October 29, 2015. Interment will follow at Lake Forest Cemetery, Lake Forest, IL. Dawn would like contributions to be made to the Weston Foundation, 360 West Illinois St., Suite 11C, Chicago, IL 60654, or 312-755-0600 (A 501c3 foundation). Information at 847-234-0022 or www.wenbanfh.com.