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Dawn Marie Wilhelm, 66, of Charlevoix, passed away on May 7, 2025. She was born on April 13, 1959, in Detroit, Michigan to parents Donald and Elsie (Starnaman) Lemond.
As a young girl, Dawn lived in Detroit with her family before they settled in Ellsworth in 1974. She and her husband Terry built their dream home in Charlevoix where they went on to raise their two sons.
Dawn’s love language was cooking; anyone who walked through their door would be greeted with “Are you hungry?” or “What can I make or you?” She could make any type of dish imaginable, and rarely needed to follow a recipe. She also loved to bake, and her chocolate cake was the best there ever was. Dawn enjoyed many forms of crafting, most notably hand-made bracelets for her family, knitting, crocheting baby blankets, scarves and making many other special gifts for the people she loved. She was a homebody at heart – happiest when it was filled with family – but she did enjoy traveling every now and then. Her presence will be dearly missed by her family and all who knew her.
On September 16, 1978, at the Belltower Reformed Church, Dawn married her high school sweetheart, Terrence Wilhelm, who survives. Also surviving are their two sons, Nick (Bethany) Wilhelm of Charlevoix, and Thomas (Moya) Wilhelm of Chaska, MN; two grandchildren, Lily and Kaytee; two brothers, Brian Lemond of Ellsworth, and Timothy (Janel) Lemond of Ripon, WI; and two sisters, Patti (Steve) Dawson of Central Lake, and Joanne (Robert) Teitler of Rochester, MI.
She was preceded in death by her parents, and her beloved Yellow Lab, Luci.
A celebration of Dawn’s life will take place from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Monday, May 12, 2025, at the Ellsworth Chapel of Mortensen Funeral Homes.
Flowers are appreciated, and for anyone who would like to make a donation in Dawn’s memory, she would be honored for memorial contributions to be made to the Charlevoix Area Humane Society; 614 Beardsley Street, Boyne City, MI 49712.
Arrangements are in the care of the Ellsworth Chapel of Mortensen Funeral Homes. Please sign her online guestbook at www.mortensenfuneralhomes.com
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
9268 Main St., Ellsworth, MI 49729
Memories and condolences can be left on the obituary at the funeral home website.
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