Obituary of Dawn Garamone

Dawn (Mancuso) Garamone died peacefully in her home on Wednesday, June 23^rd.  Dawn was born in Danbury, a middle child and only sister to brothers Dale and David.  Her parents were well known in the community; her mother Hazel was a long-time server at the King Neptune in Ridgefield, and her father Bob worked at Pitney Bowes, and also owned a bowling alley in the War Memorial building in Danbury.

Dawn went to St. Joseph’s School from Kindergarten – 8^th grade, and then Danbury High School (Class of ’71).  She dreamed of being a Flight Attendant, but sadly, at barely 5’ tall, she would not meet the height requirement.  She worked as an Administrative Assistance and Office Manager at various local businesses, including Pitney Bowes, Miller Stephenson and Option Care.

One of her great passions was knitting and crocheting.  Throughout her life, she was a member of several Knitting Guilds and volunteered to teach knitting to the seniors at Ridgefield Crossings.  Dawn loved nothing more than to knit and crochet gifts for others – she whipped up countless newborn hats and booties to donate to Danbury Hospital and other organizations, intricate sweaters and afghans to family and friends, and perhaps her favorite pastime, incredible hats and stuffed animals for her two adoring grandsons.  Her home was filled with skeins of yarn for future projects. 

Dawn was often quiet, always nice and had a wicked sense of humor (she also had incredible penmanship that her daughter tried, but failed to replicate in her younger years).  If knitting and crocheting was her passion, then her grandsons were her devotion.  She loved nothing more than snuggling with her boys, sharing stories, and coming up with fun games to play.  When both boys were diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, she researched sensory friendly toys, and spent time with their therapists to soak up all the information they would share to ensure she could be the best Nana for them (and oh, how she was).

Dawn is survived by her brothers Dale Mancuso (Lorraine) of Raleigh, NC, David Mancuso (Danielle) of Hollywood, FL, her daughter Sara Mariano (Joseph) of Danbury, and her grandsons Martin Mariano and Stephen Mariano, as well as several nieces and nephews, cousins (in particular the wonderful Deborah Stanton of Danbury), and a “sort of” ex husband, Roy Garamone of Putnam Lake, NY, of which she still shared many good times.  She is pre-deceased by her mother Hazel Wood Mancuso and father Robert Mancuso, Jr.

A wake will take place at Cornell Funeral Home on Thursday, July 8^th from 5pm-7pm, with a memorial to immediately follow.  In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to autisticadvocacy.org.