Dawn M. (Ledgard) Barbagallo

Dawn M. (Ledgard) Barbagallo, resident of Melrose, and formerly of Lowell, passed away peacefully with her family by her side at Melrose-Wakefield Hospital on Friday, February 10, 2023.  She was 84.

Devoted mother to Christopher Barbagallo and his wife Mary of Melrose, Maria Cunningham and her husband James of Danvers, Anita Kealey and her husband Sean of Fairport, NY, and Julia Dawn Thomé of Upper Black Eddy, PA.  Loving sister of Henry Ledgard of Toledo, OH, and Kenneth Ledgard and his wife Norma of Cranston, RI.  Proud grandmother of Yasmeen, Lucia, Christina, Ryan, Jimmy, Erin, and Sophia.

Born on April 17, 1938 in Lowell, Dawn was one of three children of the late Francis and Marie Antoinette (née Emond) Ledgard.  She grew up in Lowell and graduated from the Academy of Notre Dame in Tyngsborough.  In her youth, Dawn enjoyed ballet, playing piano, and tennis.

Dawn was a novitiate, taking the name Sister Mary Kenneth, in the order of Dominican Sisters.  After a year, she attended and graduated from Emmanuel College in Boston, receiving her Bachelor of Arts in History.

Dawn worked as a teacher for one year before turning her attention to her children.  She raised her family first in Lowell before moving to Andover.

A warm hearted and generous person, Dawn was exceptionally active in the lives of her family.  She loved being a mom and grandmother.  Her community minded nature compelled her to give back in many ways, such as by teaching CCD and Confirmation classes, volunteering with the Girl Scouts, and leading the La Leche League in Lowell.  She was a great steward of the environment and an environmental activist.

Dawn also enjoyed ice skating, and in her later years, listening to music, spending time with her grandchildren and family pets.  In addition, she wrote poems, short stories, and plays.

Dawn was a kind, loving, and beautiful person whose presence will be missed by all who loved her.

Private services will be held at a later date.

Contributions in memory of Dawn may be made to Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, In Memory of Sister Angela Elizabeth S.N.D., 30 Jeffrey’s Neck Rd., Ipswich, MA. 01938 or American Parkinson’s Disease Association, P.O. Box 61420, Staten Island, N.Y. 10306 (https://www.apdaparkinson.org/)