We are saddened to share the news that our friend and former colleague, Linda Dawson, passed on March 14, 2021.
Linda was a lifelong social justice activist who dedicated herself to the service of others. Her work early on as public school teacher in Madison, WI became a foundation for a career in the justice system as the Deputy District Attorney and Assistant District Attorney in Dane County Wisconsin (1984-1995), the Deputy Chief Legal Counsel at the Wisconsin Department of Health and Family Services (1996-2006), and Shareholder at Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren s.c. (2006-2010).
Linda also worked as the NCALL Elder Justice Coordinator (2010-2014), where she made a nationwide impact providing consultation and training to courts, prosecutors, and law enforcement, and countless others across the country who were expanding their elder abuse prevention and intervention efforts. During her tenure at NCALL Linda was a key contributing author on the curriculum for the National Institute on the Prosecution of Elder Abuse and one of the principal authors of Verbalee’s Experience: Building a Coordinated Community Response to Elder Abuse.
In the years that followed, Linda worked as an independent consultant for a national training institute for judges and judicial officers, the Enhancing Judicial Skills in Elder Abuse Cases Workshop, and served as a board member of End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin. Her life’s work in the anti-violence and elder justice movements will continue to benefit countless survivors across the lifespan for many years to come.
Linda will be remembered as a thoughtful and caring person who loved life and brought her full self every time, even when those times were challenging. We are indebted to her generosity of spirit, inspired by her zeal for life, and moved by her determination. We join Linda’s family and loved ones in mourning and extend our heartfelt condolences to them.
Linda has requested that those who love her consider a donation to the following deserving organizations in her memory and to encourage all of us to pay it forward in some meaningful way: End Domestic Abuse Wisconsin: The Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence, 1400 E. Washington Ave., Suite 227, Madison, WI 53703; The University of Wisconsin Foundation – UW Health Transplant Fund, 1848 University Ave., Madison, WI 53726; The Southern Poverty Law Center, 400 Washington Ave., Montgomery, AL 36104; The Dane County Humane Society, 5132 Voges Road, Madison, WI 53718; Underdog Pet Rescue of Wisconsin, 231 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Madison, WI 53704; or any organization that supports social justice.
We invite you to share your memories of Linda at www.cressfuneralservice.com.