Start here. Meet Dawne and Joey, the boys, and the people who shaped our little world. It’s the early years, the inside jokes, the songs on repeat, the late-night talks, and the small rituals that made our house feel like home long before grief tried to break it.
A mom, a wife, a friend, a force. The way she laughed, fought for people, decorated everything, and believed in second chances. This chapter gathers memories and stories so the boys (and anyone who loved her) can come back and remember her clearly.
In Dawne’s honor, we plant trees. Each one a small promise: more shade for kids playing, more beauty on ordinary streets, more oxygen in a world that took her breath away too soon. A living way for the boys to see their mom’s name standing tall.
Before the sirens and hospital halls, it was road trips, ball games, kitchen dancing, late-night talks, and a mom who showed up big. These are the snapshots the boys deserve to keep close—the parts of Dawne that were pure joy.
Walk back through the moments that built this family long before grief had a name.
We’re learning how to breathe again. Grief, therapy, prayer, small victories, hard days. Joey is telling the truth out loud so the boys know they’re not alone and so other families don’t have to stand where we stood. Some of that honesty lives here.
Read Joey’s journal Letters to the boys
This part is raw and real on purpose, so the story doesn’t get rewritten as something it wasn’t.
The future is the boys, the trees we plant, the stories we tell, and the people we help keep alive. We’re building scholarships, memorial plantings, resources for families fighting silent battles, and a record the boys can be proud of.
See where this is heading and how you can stand with us, quietly or loudly.
The beginning. So the boys can hear it straight from us, not from a faded memory.
Stories, quotes, and little details only the boys would remember and protect.
Told honestly. No gloss, no shame. For awareness, prevention, and truth.
How one tree, one yard, one small act can become part of Dawne’s legacy.
Entries for Dawne, for the boys, and for anyone walking through grief and recovery.
A curated wall of moments: family trips, celebrations, quiet days at home.
Stand with us: plant a tree, share resources, support awareness and healing.
Helpful links for families navigating loss, addiction, mental health, and remembrance.
Dawne.org