52 Ancestors #52: My Mother Dawn

No Story Too Small has issued a New Year's Challenge: "Have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.” 

This week's post is about my mother Dawn Maureen (Creighton) Moynahan (1936-1981). 

Dawn Maureen Creighton (1936-1981)

Family Means Everything

This final blog post (52 of 52) pays tribute to my deceased mother Dawn Maureen (Creighton) Moynahan. Family meant everything to her.

Born and raised in Halifax Nova Scotia, Dawn (at 20 years of age) and her husband Ernest were sent to B.C. with the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 1956 . Dawn and Ernest later lived and raised their family in Windsor, Toronto, Mimico and Cooksville (now Mississauga), Ontario. Dawn started her own business "Molly's Bindery" and died from leukemia in 1981 at the young age of 45 years.

I am grateful to have visited both Nova Scotia and the western provinces with my mother Dawn to visit with her friends and our Creighton family.

As a tribute to her too-brief life, here are some of my favourite photos of my mother Dawn taken over the years.
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1936

Dawn Is Born - Halifax, Nova Scotia

Dawn Creighton (c.1936-37)

My mother Dawn (front right) with her siblings
Claire, Ken, Barb, Jack and Fred ("Bud")

Photo booth shot of Dawn (left) with girlfriends

Dawn with Halifax friends

Dawn Creighton in the R.C.A.F.

Dawn Creighton FCO #278
(pictured second row - third from right)

R.C.A.F. discharge papers: Dawn Maureen (Creighton) Moynahan

1956 

Marriage - Bathurst, New Brunswick

Dawn & Ernie with Dawn's father Frederick Creighton

1957 

Baby #1 - Comox, British Columbia

1957 

Baby #2 - Windsor, Ontario

1962

Baby #3 - Mimico, Ontario

Dawn with her mother Dorothy (Moreland) Creighton

Dawn loved attending dances

Wasaga Beach

At the Melville pool

Dawn's business card

A precious first grandchild

Dawn's vacation with Ernie