Obituary for Dawn Dunbar Bender

Dawn Aliene Dunbar Bender, at the age of 72, passed away in her home, in Cedar Hills, Utah, in the early morning hours of February 18, 2019. She was surrounded and supported by her family. She is finally at peace, after a long and arduous battle with pancreatic cancer. 

Dawn was born on September 27, 1946, in Boulder, Colorado, to Felix Holt Dunbar Jr. and LaVera Jean Beamer. 

Dawn was the first of four children. She was born premature and was always a very tiny little girl. What she lacked in stature she made up for with personality and determination. She even won a junior high school talent show with a skit she did with her friend. Her parents always made sure their family went camping and exploring across the United States, so she learned to love nature and adventure. Her parents encouraged each of their children to have a “Great Life Experience” before they got married and Dawn was always in search of hers. After graduating high school, Dawn went to Brigham Young University to study interior design and art. In her freshman year she won an art contest and her professor chose her, along with six other students, to tour Europe studying art. She got to explore Paris and Switzerland and had her “Great Life Experience”. 

It was at Brigham Young University that Dawn met Norman Clair Bender. In 1967, they were married and sealed for time and all eternity, in the Salt Lake Temple, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Over the next 12 years, they were blessed with three daughters: Shellie, Angelina, and Jennifer, and three sons: Kelly, Cory, and Jared. During her husband's government service, she had the opportunity to live in California, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico, and Texas, before settling in Utah to finish raising their children. 

While raising her children, Dawn furthered her passion for art by painting, making pottery, and creating beautiful stained glass works of art. She also shared her love of nature and adventure on camping trips with her husband and children. 

During her life, Dawn worked as a photograph retoucher, as an art teacher in three schools, as a teacher at a school for the deaf and blind, as a Real Estate Agent and Appraiser, an appraiser at an auction house, served on the Sandy City, Utah, Planning Commission, and homeschooled some of her children. She also worked for a company scheduling seminars for doctors of alternative medicine and critiquing the books they presented. She then went on to be the manager of a health food store and the co-owner of her own health food market. She used all this knowledge, along with her continued love of nutrition, research, and healing, to help many people feel better and get healthier. She even used this knowledge to beat the lymphoma she had many years before she had pancreatic cancer. 

During her life, Dawn was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served in many ward callings. Her favorite was as a teacher and consultant at her stake Family History Center. 

Dawn is survived by 6 children, 12 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren. She has had a life full of love, creativity, and service, and has had many great life experiences. She will always be remembered and loved by those who knew her and will be greatly missed. 

Funeral Services will be held Saturday, February 23rd at 12:00 pm at the Cedar Hills 10th Ward, 9737 Chesterfield Drive, Cedar Hills, Utah, where a Viewing will be held prior to services from 10:00 to 11:30 am. Interment in Memorial Mountain View Cemetery, 3115 Bengal Boulevard, Cottonwood Heights, Utah. 

Funeral Directors: Utah Valley Mortuary.