Tribute to Dawn Mackinlay, 1930 - 2026

I met Dawn in February as a carer and she very quickly made a huge impact on me. I could spend hours chatting away to her and she was so lovely to spend time with, I loved her from the minute I met her and loved hearing about all her stories from her life. Dawn was a very cherished and loved woman by all her friends and family, always having a full house and she was incredibly proud of her family. We even had a Celtic bond as she was proud to be Scottish and I am half Irish, even living in the same place in Kent at one point! My favourite memory of her will always be how she told me that she loves how unique I am, telling me I had inspired her to get her hair dyed in the summer; specifically a rainbow Mohawk! It wouldn’t surprise me at all if she was still here today that she would be sitting pretty in her living room with a rainbow Mohawk - Dawn will always have a very special place in my heart, it was an honour and privilege to look after Dawn in her latter years of life. May Dawn’s beautiful, gentle soul rest in eternal peace

I always loved coming to see Dawn (and spent a large part of secondary school at her house from what I can remember!) She was warm, generous, incredibly open and hilarious. Her relationship with her son - my friend, Jeremy - was the model of warmth and love. It was a privilege to be around. I was very fortunate to revisit our own friendship in the last few years. I hadn’t seen her for decades, but it seemed like days. A very special lady. I’ll always remember her.

My mum number two for almost 40 years - unwavering in your love despite the years and the thousands of miles between us. I’ll miss our fleeting catch ups, your kindness, your hugs, and the countless giggles we shared. And I trust someone remembered to pour you a gin. Love always x

Thank you for setting up this memorial to Dawn. We hope that you find it a positive experience developing the site and that it becomes a place of comfort and inspiration for you to visit whenever you want or need to.

I am I and you are you, whatever we were to each other that we still are. Speak to me in the easy way which you always used. Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight? Life means all that it ever meant, it is the same as it ever was.