Dawn Elizabeth Ortega

Dawn Elizabeth Ortega (Rader), age 76, passed away on February 8, 2023. Dawn was born on December 24, 1946 in Alameda, California.

She was the daughter of a Naval Aviator from California and a Chorus Line Dancer from New York, and was the youngest of three children. Dawn and her family moved to Oahu, Hawaii shortly after her birth. She would go on to grow up there and eventually meet a young sailor named Rob, who was stationed at Pearl Harbor and lived next door in the same Waikiki apartments. Dawn and Rob quickly fell in love, and when Rob received orders back to the mainland in 1972 she left her beloved Hawaii to join him in Long Beach, California. They were married on December 17, 1972 and their daughter Shannon was born the following year. Soon after her birth they moved back to Hawaii where they happily remained for another ten years. Rob’s twenty-one years of active duty brought additional moves, separations, and deployments. Being the spouse of a career military service member is not an easy life but Dawn managed with courage and determination. She was always the center of the Homefront providing love and support to her family. After spending the last years of their military life in Southern California, Dawn and Rob ended up settling in Albuquerque, New Mexico where they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this past December.

Dawn is preceded in death by her father, John R. Rader; her mother, Virginia G. Carey; sister, Gabrielle E. Tillis; and brother, John R. Rader Jr.  She leaves behind and will be so deeply missed by her husband, Robert, her daughter, Shannon, and her grandson, Ryan who always put a twinkle in her eye. She also leaves behind numerous nieces and nephews.

Dawn was a beautiful person with a kind heart and a warm nature, She was a devoted wife, mother, and nana and her little family meant the world to her. She was always there when you needed her and always managed to make you laugh in any situation.

We will always love and miss her more than words can say.