Jeanne A. Dawson-Lalli

Jeanne Dawson Lalli was born on March 2, 1943 in Gulph Mills, PA and grew up in Elmira, NY. From that point on, she was nonstop, whirlwind energy - a force of love and motion.

The motion stopped on Sunday, August 20, 2023, in Fort Lauderdale, FL; the love remains.

Volunteering was her joy, but so was connecting with people, teaching English as a Second Language, making friends wherever she went, hosting parties, mentoring young people, teaching aerobics (hey, it was the ‘80s) and other fitness classes, painting - she was an awardwinning artist - giving help to people who needed it, and doing whatever she could to find homes for the cats and dogs at Abandoned Pet Rescue in Fort Lauderdale.

When that didn’t work, she would house them herself. (The cats of Fort Lauderdale knew an easy mark when they saw one.)

This was a woman who didn’t just stop to smell the roses, folks.

She stopped the car abruptly (sometimes terrifyingly), got out, grabbed scissors out of the trunk, and picked the roses, wildflowers, daisies, sunflowers - to create a beautiful floral arrangement later on. (In fact, a local floral shop once named a bouquet after her in honor of her sunny disposition and many acts of kindness.)

Her beautiful paintings were an explosion of color that was unsurprising to anyone who ever had Jeanne show up late to a lunch date because the color coordination of her ensemble (scarves, clip-on earrings, and shoes) wasn’t quite working.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Leroy and Gertrude Dawson, and her beloved husband, Joseph Lalli, her true partner in life.

She leaves behind her siblings Peter Dawson, Michael Dawson, and Nancy DeRico; nieces Sara DeRico and Mackenzie Dawson; nephews Simon DeRico, Matthew Dawson and Nicholas Dawson; great-nephews, Finn Dawson Landesman, Dawson McKenzie, Forrest Dawson, Jasper Dawson, Oliver Dawson, Brigham Dawson, and great niece Bella Castillo.

These are just her actual relatives; she also leaves behind countless (literally, countless) legions of close friends, art students, fellow animal shelter volunteers, and people whose lives she made better simply by being in it.

She will be sorely missed and remembered in just about every burst of color.

Details for the memorial service will be shared in the coming weeks. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Abandoned Pet Rescue (abandonedpetrescue.org) and striking up a conversation with a stranger.