Dawn Frances MacDougall Shannon

Dawn Frances MacDougall Shannon
November 21,1932- February 13, 2026
Dawn Shannon, 93, passed away in Concord after residing in Weare, NH for the last 2 years with her son Rob and daughter-in-law Amy. Dawn's previous beloved home of 60 years was Shrewsbury, MA.

Dawn is survived by four children: Stacey, husband Brian O'Rourke and their children Colin (predeceased), Devin, and Angus, Laurel, husband Mitchell Urda and their children Danica and Nicholas, Robert, wife Amy Shannon and their children Courtney and Taylor, Ted, wife Mary Shannon and their children Joe, Will, and Eliza. Dawn had four great grandchildren, Lily O'Rourke, Lumin and Maple Peron and Leon Walker. Dawn also leaves her two sisters Sandy Sullivan and Laurie Cronin, and 8 nieces and nephews. She also leaves her cousin Bobby and his wife Lorraine MacDougall.

Dawn was an active, independent woman during her life. She enjoyed skiing, sailing, golf, tennis, horseback riding, cross country skiing, traveling, and so much more. Dawn was a town council member for many years for the town of Shrewsbury and volunteered at the voting polls in town for over 30 years, with other volunteer work at the Shrewsbury public library.

Dawn's life with Shrewsbury Parks and Recreation afforded her many life long friendships and responsibilities to the many families of Shrewsbury, and contributed greatly to the town‘s continued success. She loved to run around town to unlock the schools for evening programs, and treasured her time working at Ward Hill under Fred Fedelli (she kept her Ward Hill black apron as a prized possession until the day she died). She volunteered with the Shrewsbury Garden Club, played bridge and with bunco groups, and ran and refereed men's softball games (they never dared to argue with her calls). Through these continued activities and active engagements, she knew almost everyone in town. Going anywhere with her in Shrewsbury meant stopping to talk to an abundance of people, all who clearly loved her as much as she loved them.

Her laugh and smile lit up any room. She loved the beach, reading, talking, and learning. She loved traveling to her homeland of Scotland, particularly Obin and the MacDougall castle. She was certainly a world traveler with friends and family. She traveled to Russia, China, Egypt, Italy, Canada, and many various states of our nation, but loved her home state of Massachusetts. Born and bred here she certainly maintained the accent we all know too well. “Paaks and Recreation, ca- keys, nhapken, aggs, of cous” in translation: car keys, napkins, eggs, and of course.

Saint Mary's was always her safe place, her refuge, and the Church she will be celebrated in. Her life will be celebrated here in Shrewsbury, February 28th at 11am. In lieu of flowers, her wishes were to donate to Paralyzed Veterans of America or Saint Jude Children's Research Hospital.