Dawn Marie Fassbender

Dawn Marie Fassbender, age 60, of Reedsburg, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, May 2, 2022.  She was born on May 26, 1961, in Shell Lake, WI, the daughter of Dale and Mary (Conley) Morey.  On July 26, 1980, Dawn was united in marriage to Paul Fassbender at St. Norbert Catholic Church in Roxbury, WI.  This marriage was blessed with two children.  

Dawn had a special place in her heart for children and animals.  In her teenage years, she was employed at Blackhawk Ridge in Mazomanie where she worked with horses and took campers on trail rides. From there her love of horses grew.  She later worked at Badger Gymnastics as a coach for many years. It was during this time that she taught herself sign language, so she could include more students in her classes. From there, she started coaching many other students with special needs. When “Miss Dawn” was with children, she never stopped smiling.  She loved to swim, so later in life, Dawn became  a swim instructor at Swim Reedsburg.  Dawn was talented in working with children, especially those with special needs.  She was an in-home caregiver for a family special to her and was always willing to help others. 

In addition to riding her horses, Dawn enjoyed traveling.  When Dawn and Paul recently went to Hawaii, Dawn’s adventurous spirit came alive. She swam with turtles, went parasailing and whale watching, and got in trouble with lifeguards for swimming too far into the ocean. Dawn also enjoyed gardening, birdwatching, and walking in the woods. Above all, she loved the Lord, the time she spent with her family, and most of all, being a child at heart with her three grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers-in-law, Dave Gehrke and Joe Fassbender; and sister-in-law, Ann Fassbender.

Dawn is survived by her husband, Paul; son, Steven Fassbender  (Nicolette Schmidt Fassbender); daughter, Jennifer (Dennis) Neumann; grandchildren, Ashlynn and Jordan Neumann, and Holden Fassbender; Sisters, Dana (Dave) Sanft, Debbie (Steve) Marx, Paula (Jim) Whitaker; brother, Dane (Tammy) Morey; In-Laws, Richard and Eleanore Fassbender, brother and sisters-in-law, Susan Walsh, Mona Gehrke, Rick (Annette) Fassbender, Connie Kind, Peg Eaton, and Sarah Mamerow; many nieces and nephews, along with so many other loved relatives and special friends.

A Mass of Christian Burial for Dawn M. Fassbender will be held at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Reedsburg.  Fr. Patrick Wendler will officiate.

A luncheon and time of fellowship will follow the Mass at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 426 S. Albert Avenue, Reedsburg, WI.

In lieu of flowers, memorials of remembrance in memory of Dawn, may be made to UnityPoint/Meriter Foundation for Adult Psychiatry and Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. See video memorial link below.

The Farber Funeral Home is assisting the family with the arrangements.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Dawn Marie Fassbender, please visit our floral store.