‘Super mum’ funeral brings village to halt
HUNDREDS of mourners lined the streets to pay their respects to ‘super mum’ Dawn Shepherd.
Dawn, 30, passed away on November 3, just weeks after moving into the home of her dreams with her two sons, her partner Jason and his two sons.
The mum, from Cheadle, was diagnosed with ovarian cancer for the second time in August and died just weeks later. Despite intensive treatment she managed to continue looking after her family as well as running her beauty business.
In the days following her death, her friends raised thousands of pounds in her memory. Donations to the Dawn Shepherd Foundation have now reached almost £21,000.
Mourners brought Cheadle village to a standstill as a horse-drawn carriage carried Dawn’s body to St Mary’s Church.
Jason’s sister Hollie Reynolds, 31, set up the foundation for Dawn’s children as a ‘nest egg’ for the future.
She said: “In such a short space of time everyone has been so generous and it has given us something to smile about at such a difficult time.
“It was a very emotional day but amazing so many people stopped what they were doing to join the procession.
“The whole village came to standstill. It was a sendoff fit for a princess.
“The vicar said he had never seen the church so full and it showed how well loved Dawn was.”
Dawn was first diagnosed with ovarian cancer five years ago and beat the disease.
But she was rushed to hospital this summer after she began having excruciating pains in her leg and back.
Tests and scans showed the cancer had returned. She worked hard to continue running her beauty salon business and remained upbeat and positive during gruelling chemotherapy.
Just days after her death, Dawn’s son Cameron, nine, acted as captain in a junior football match.
Just three minutes into the game, he scored – pointing to the sky in memory of his mum as he celebrated.
His brother Lewis, 11, who is a keen singer, also bravely played in a school performance days before Dawn passed away so he could make his mum proud.
To donate to the Dawn Shepherd Foundation visit gofundme.com/thedawn-shepherd-foundation.