Dawn Lorraine Sharbaugh Baer, age 72, of Berwick, died at noon on Sunday, March 23 at Geisinger Medical Center, Danville held by her husband Dale and daughters Angela and Kody. She had been a patient there for nearly six weeks.
She was born in Berwick on May 11, 1952, to the late Wesner “Mike” and Emma Sharbaugh. A graduate of Berwick High School, class of 1970, and a proud member of “Prof’s” band. She earned a Bachelor of Science in education at Bloomsburg University in 1974. While there she was a member of the highly-select Madrigal Singers and a member of the Concert Choir. She completed her Master of Education degree in 1975 at Bloomsburg and in 1993 earned the Principal’s Certificate at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.
From 1975 until 1994 she was a well-known teacher in the Tamaqua elementary schools. At various times during that period, she taught grades three, four, and six at Tuscarora Elementary, Rush Elementary, and Tamaqua Elementary. She became the principal at Nescopeck Elementary School in the Berwick Area School District in 1994, at the time enrollment at Nescopeck was approximately 300. She later was simultaneously principal at 14th Street Elementary. She retired in 2008. Among her significant accomplishments during those years was bringing the DARE program to Berwick schools and later establishing the DARE Challenge. She also established the Be Excited About Reading (BEAR) program at Nescopeck which rewarded those who read most with Teddy Bear’s at the end of the year. Only later after marrying Dale, would it become Mrs. Baer’s Bear Book Club.
She was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma, the international professional honor society of key women educators, and served as president of the Xi (Schuylkill) chapter. In 1995 she received the organization’s Margaret J. Wolfe Award.
Upon her retirement, totally as an unpaid volunteer, Dawn became very active with the Nescopeck Area Community Cupboard (the decades old food cupboard serving the Berwick Area School District residents). She served on the board, where for 12 years she was the coordinator, often working 30-40 hours per week behind the scenes, ordering food from various sources, organizing volunteers to properly store food when it arrived, establishing guidelines for fair distribution based on household size, and establishing methods of smoothly moving patrons through the facility on the twice-monthly distribution days. In those days, patrons passed through various stations and selected the food that they wanted from various categories. She was also a charter member, volunteer, and former board member of the broader Hope Center.
She was a life-long member of the Living Hope Free Methodist Church in Nescopeck, where she served in various leadership roles including board member, board secretary, and church treasurer from 1997-2001. She also served as pianist and music director, adult choir director, children’s choir director, Children’s Ministries, Centennial Chair, scrapbook and church history book coordinator. Dawn was a devout Christian who always put serving others first.
Dawn was a proud member of the Berwick Breakfast Book Club, which in addition to monthly book discussions and holiday gatherings. They distributed over 30,000 books over eleven years, free to the children of the area, which served as a second family to its members.
Always up for adventures, she traveled widely throughout the U.S. especially western states. To help celebrate her fiftieth birthday, she went skydiving with daughter, Angela. She and Dale always appreciated and sought out experiences in nature. Extended vacations in central Europe, Alaska, and the National Parks of the Southwest were especially memorable.
She will be greatly missed by her devoted and beloved husband Dale, with whom she celebrated their Silver Anniversary last July 31. Dawn also leaves behind daughters, Angela Eberle and husband Mark “Tom”, Winchester, VA; Kody Messerschmidt and husband Zach Bremmer, Christiansburg, VA; grandchildren, Grace and Connor Eberle; Easton Messerschmidt, Malachi Bremmer, and Emmarie Bremmer; step-granddaughter, Elsie Baer-Segado, Stratford, NJ; brothers, Barry Sharbaugh and wife Marcia, Berwick; and Jack Sharbaugh and wife Betsy, Summit Hill; many nieces and nephews, including Nathan and Natalie. She is also survived by several aunts and uncles and numerous cousins both in the area and throughout the country.
Above all Dawn loved spending time with her family. She loved her grandchildren beyond measure and will surely be remembered by them for that great love.
A memorial service will be held at 11am on March 29, 2025, at the Living Hope Free Methodist Church at Warren and First St. in Nescopeck, PA. Interment will follow in Pine Grove Cemetery. Visitation will be from 9:00 until the time of service.
Online messages of comfort for her family may be sent to condolences@HellerFuneralHomeLLC.com.