Dawn Aileen Kos June 14, 1948 – November 21, 2005 “The loveliest and the best has smiled and said ‘Good Night’ and gone to rest.”

On the morning of November 21, 2005, a relatively obscure member of the Richland, Washington community passed from this world. She died as she lived – unselfishly, quietly, and with dignity. The lucky few whose lives she touched know she was the best of us, a shining example of the innate goodness of humankind.

Dawn Aileen Johnson Kos was born on Flag Day, 1948, in the ‘City of Brotherly Love’ to Dr. Paul and Penny Johnson. The second of four children, Dawn moved with her family from Philadelphia to Cleveland, Ohio where her father completed his residency in orthopedic surgery at the Cleveland Clinic. Determined in his words “to live for medicine and not from it”, her father gave up a lucrative future at the Cleveland Clinic and returned to his native state, North Dakota, where he raised his family and practiced medicine at the Quain and Ramstad Clinic in Bismarck until his death in 1972. His surgical skill and tireless devotion to his patients and to his community are legendary among those who still mourn his passing.

Her mother, Penny Johnson, remained in Bismarck, ND until her death in 1982. A professional actress and model, she founded the local community theatre, organized style shows, and lobbied for the passage of legislation to protect the old, the weak, and the disadvantaged. Her contributions continue to make an important difference in North Dakota.

Like her parents, Dawn committed her life in service to others. She received her college degree in physical education from North Dakota State University in 1970. After several years of teaching, she returned to school and earned her certification as an x-ray technician. Her professional skills were enhanced by selection as a candidate for advanced training in nuclear medicine. She devoted herself to her critically and often terminally ill patients until she contracted hepatitis, forcing her early retirement.

Horses were her life-long passion. An exceptional rider, Dawn was a champion barrel racer, crowned North Dakota High School Rodeo Queen, and competed in the National High School Rodeo Finals.

The single most important word to Dawn was “HOME”, images of which she carefully chose for her room and her final days at Hospice House. There were comfortable quilts, the poetry of Robert Frost, and pictures of a favorite horse, a childhood family Christmas, and her treasured children, Heidi and Ben.

Dawn did not want a funeral and chose to be cremated. Her ashes will be scattered by her beloved uncle, Leland Brand, in a pasture where they used to ride their horses. Dawn will be home, forever mingled in the prairie grass and greatness of the American West.

She is survived by her daughter, Dr. Heidi Kos of Seattle, WA; her son, Ben Kos of Boise, ID; her sisters, Paula Boggs of Gaffney, SC and Jill Sholts of Bloomington, MN; her brother, Greg Johnson of Billings, MT; her devoted friends, Frieda and Roy Tollbom of Richland, WA; and her champion, Buck Clark of Pasco, WA. In lieu of memorials, please consider acts of kindness, especially to strangers.