Dawn Lisa Anderson

The Obituary for Dawn Lisa Anderson

A life of selfless kindness.

Dawn Lisa Anderson passed away on February 2, 2026, at the young age of 57. I was next to her when she passed. She passed doing something for me, painting a mini for one of my games, something she loved to do. But that was Dawn, and anyone who knew her knew that. Her greatest joys in life came from doing everything for others, especially for me.

She was born on September 2, 1968, the daughter of Vernon W. Rush and Georgianna Rush, in Point Pleasant, New Jersey. Dawn was a loving mother and best friend to her daughter, Paige Blake, and a compassionate and giving stepmother to my two sons, Kyle and Cory Anderson. She was the sister of Eugene Rush.

Twenty-five wonderful, short years ago, on August 4, we were married and became a family of five, but we were a family before that. Even before our wedding Dawn taught us all the importance of vacations. She insisted that we all go away together every year. She told me soon after we decided to make one family together, "Vacations are important. It's what the kids will remember." That was the way she thought.

Dawn was a respected member of the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office in Toms River, New Jersey, where her incredible work ethic, attention to detail, and staggering intelligence elevated her to the position of Chief Clerk Typist. She was much more than her title, though. She managed the office's multi-million-dollar budget. Even the Prosecutor admitted that he needed to talk to Dawn before he knew how much he could spend.

And work is where I met Dawn, the love of my life. There, we were acquaintances who became friends, who became best friends, who became everything to each other. She was staggeringly beautiful, breathtakingly confident, and endlessly competent in everything she did or tried to do. Through our life together, we loved our children, family, and our friends, but more than anything else, we loved each other the most. Her every waking moment was spent thinking and doing for others, especially me and her daughter, Paige. Her love didn't end there, though, because she made crafts, sewed costumes, and painted pictures for us all including my two sons, Kyle and Cory.

The last few years she spent at home with her beloved dogs, Rex and Zoe, and then Mia, our new little girl. Her days were filled with artistic expression, be it painting miniature figures for me and my hobby, making holiday decorations for Paige, or designing something beautiful and personal for her upcoming granddaughter, Sophie, whom she already loved completely and totally.

I will miss her laugh, which filled the room. I will miss her quiet presence. But mostly, I will miss her voice. Whether we were talking about the weather, music, upcoming movies, or whatever we were going to do that weekend, I liked hearing her speak. And her singing voice, I will miss her singing voice the most. She was shy, even though she was incredibly talented, and only a select few people got the honor of hearing her sing. She sang for me all the time. I might miss that the most.

My Dawny left us all way too soon. She was and always will be my life and my love. Every person she touched knew her for her kindness and selflessness. Words cannot express how she will be missed by everyone she touched.

I love you, my Dawny, my baby-doll.