Maikels, Dawn Marie

ALBANY - Dawn Marie Maikels, age 67, passed into eternity on Tuesday morning July 26, 2022, at St. Peter’s Hospital with her beloved children by her side. Dawn was the cherished only daughter of her father, Paul A. Maikels, and mother, the late Anita L. (Heeney) Maikels. In addition to her father, Dawn is survived by her cherished children, Edward O’Brien, Jr. and Paula O’Brien (Marco Soler); treasured grandson, Colin Paul Soler; and precious toy poodle Sassy. As an only child, Dawn created a strong community of love and connection with her many cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends across the entirety of her life. Dawn leaves a legacy of loving acts of kindness, hilarious memories of fun times, and a big, infectious unforgettable giggly laugh to brighten the hearts of those who mourn her.

Dawn was a 1973 graduate of Cardinal McCloskey Memorial High School and a 1984 graduate of Hudson Valley Community College where she earned an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice. After graduating from college, and before starting her full-time career, Dawn took her 10-year-old daughter and 4-year-old son cross country on a Greyhound bus from Albany, NY to Anaheim, CA for the summer to visit family. Dawn always loved an adventure and was a fearless, committed loving mother to not only her two children, but to the many, many friends they brought into her world over the years. Everyone was welcome on family trips or at the dinner table. During her lifetime she organized many trips, parties and adventures for her friends and family. Everyone was interested in joining Dawnie for an adventure because laughter, good food, and hijinks were always on the itinerary!

Dawn proudly lived a life of service to others. In her early years, Dawn worked as a waitress at the Empress Diner on Northern Boulevard in Albany, then the Broadway Diner in Menands, the East Greenbush Diner and later the Wolf Road Diner in Colonie. In late 1984 Dawn joined the Albany County Probation Department as an Assistant Probation Officer, where in 1987 she earned the Albany County Probation Assistant of the Year Award, and the “Helping Hands” Award in 1992. Dawn served Albany County honorably until her retirement in 2019. While Dawn planned to retire to her home in North Fort Myers, Florida, and travel extensively, the world had different plans. Dawn returned to Albany on March 7, 2020 to babysit her granddog Taz. The pandemic, caretaking for her ailing father and then a cholangiocarcinoma diagnosis kept her tethered to Albany. Finally, on June 18,Dawn was able to return to her beloved home in Florida where she stayed until July 17.

Dawn’s family extends its sincere appreciation to everyone that has worked to support Dawn’s cancer journey. A special thanks to her cousin, Carolyn Andress, who dutifully called her everyday and helped her navigate the limited options, her life-long friend, Miriam McEnroe, who supported transporting her to treatments at MSK in Westchester, and her nieces Davia Wolcott and Micki Wolcott who provided day to day support in recent months.

Relatives and friends are invited to visit with her family Monday August 1,from 4-7pm at the Daniel Keenan Funeral Home, Inc., 490 Delaware Ave. Albany. Her funeral Mass will be celebrated on Tuesday August 2,at 10am at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 391 Delaware Ave. Interment will follow the Mass at Graceland Cemetery.

Memorial donations may be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering at www.giving.mskcc.org or Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation at www.cholangiocarcinoma.org.