Dawn Lorraine Layaou

Dawn Layaou, born June 28, 1955, in Kingston, Pennsylvania, left this world on July 21, 2025, as unapologetically as she lived in it and probably with one final zinger that left everyone around her in stunned laughter or speechless awe.

Dawn had the mouth of a sailor and the heart of a warrior. She was brilliantly sharp, the kind of smart that sliced through nonsense and delivered truths that stuck with you long after the conversation ended. You never had to ask for her opinion, and you'd better be ready for the kind of insight that hits deep and honest, often peppered with sarcasm and swearing, but always real.

She was the loving wife of the late Alan Layaou, who passed in 2012, and the fiercely proud mother of one daughter, Jami Hearn, who inherited her grit and fire. Jami and her husband, Miles, continue Dawn’s legacy of strong love and strong opinions, values that are clearly alive in Dawn’s beloved grandsons: Dominic Cassarino (Hailey), Anthony Cassarino (Karley), and Noah McLain. Dawn also leaves behind a great-grandson, Colter Cassarino, who, if genetics have their way, will also learn how to cuss creatively by age five.

She wasn’t one to sugarcoat anything and that’s exactly why people turned to her. Whether you were struggling, celebrating, or just spinning your wheels, Dawn would cut through the noise and deliver exactly what you needed to hear (whether you liked it or not). She didn’t tolerate fools, didn’t pretend to be anything other than herself, and left a lasting mark on everyone lucky enough to know her.

In honoring Dawn’s memory, the family encourages you to speak boldly, love fiercely, and when appropriate, or even when it’s not, swear like she’s listening.