Dawn Adana (Harter) Thomas

Dawn Adana (Harter Underwood) Thomas, 91, of Wyoming, MI, joined her Heavenly Father January 23, 2023.

“Gma Dawn” was born on June 29, 1931, in Akron OH, graduated from Kenmore High School and attended the University of Akron where she met her first husband. Family life called and she delayed her higher education, shifting her focus to her children. The family moved to Green Township, OH, where Dawn became an active member of the community which included several years on the Green Local School Board.

The unexpected loss of her husband in 1977 galvanized Dawn into completing her higher education—earning not one, but two Associate degrees by the time she was 55—an accomplishment she was always proud of. During that time, she married her second husband, a long-time family friend who passed in 1987.

Dawn loved to travel and enjoyed many hobbies. She loved to read and crochet, building up quit a library and yarn stash. An avid fossil hunter, she was often seen scouring the local quarries and gravel pits for ‘treasures’. Dawn was also a philatelist (postage stamp collector), a member of the McKinley Stamp Club and was awarded several ribbons for stamp displays submitted for judging at area stamp shows.

Always a lover of music, Dawn was an Akron Symphony Orchestra season ticket holder for over 25 years. She loved to get gussied up, mingle with friends and sit in the middle of the 2nd row of the grand tier to hear the Akron Symphony Orchestra perform—she never missed a concert. Dawn sang in the church choir for First Presbyterian Church, Akron, OH, and then the John Knox Presbyterian Church in Canton, OH. She was also a long-time member of the Order of Eastern Star (Portage Lakes/Legacy Chapter) which included holding the office of Worthy Matron several times and using her crocheting skills by participating in the many blanket drives for babies and lap robes for the elderly.

Dawn relocated to West Michigan in July, 2020, maintaining her die-hard love for Ohio State football. Her many Michigan family and friends endured her ‘touchdown curtsy’ with a smile.

Dawn is preceded by her husbands, Horace “Woody” Underwood and Lemuel “Big Tom” Thomas; parents Walter “Doc” and Dawn Irene Harter; in-laws Jean (Bob) Blankenship; and niece, Judy Kimbler. She is survived by her brother Richard (InaRae) Harter of Gahanna, OH; children Dawn A (Jack) Pendley of San Antonio, TX, Nelson L (Janet) Underwood of Forney, TX, Patti Hoover of Byron Center, MI, and Jon (Rhonda) Underwood of Louisville, OH; grandchildren Nathan (Ashley) Underwood and Daniel (Brandi) Underwood, both of Texas, and Donielle (Joe) Lenhart of Dorr, MI; great-grandchildren Ethan Underwood, Nicholas Toledo, Makayla Underwood, Summer Underwood, Kyle Cates, Colby Underwood, and Wesley Underwood all of Texas and Mikayla Lenhart and Colton Lenhart of Dorr, MI; nephew Eric Harter and niece Laura (Shawn) Henderson both of Columbus, OH.

Visitation and services will be held February 2, 2023, at the North Canton Masonic Temple, 805 Orchard Ave NE, North Canton, OH--visitation will be from 10am to 11am, a short memorial service will be performed by the Order of Eastern Star Legacy Chapter at 11am and Funeral services will follow immediately after the OES service. Dawn will be interred with her first husband, Horace “Woody” Underwood, at Greenlawn Cemetery in Akron, Ohio—there will be no graveside service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Dawn’s memory to the Alzheimer’s Association Greater East Ohio Area Chapter, 408 9th St SW Suite 3400, Canton, OH 44707. 

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Dawn Adana (Harter) Thomas, please visit our floral store.