Dawn Renee Bannister

Dawn Renee (nee Hollinsworth) Bannister, 48, of Farmington, Missouri, passed away unexpectedly on September 7, 2026, surrounded by her husband and loved ones.

Dawn was born on November 12, 1977, in Potosi, Missouri, to SFC Charles M. Hollinsworth and Judith E. (Russell) Hollinsworth. She graduated from Stewart County High School in Dover, Tennessee, in 1996.

Prior to becoming disabled, Dawn built a career managing numerous retail stores. She was known for her larger-than-life personality. She was boisterous, loud, fiercely loyal, and loved deeply. Dawn had an extraordinary way of making people feel cared for, and although she was never blessed with children of her own, she had a gift for mothering everyone she met.

Dawn and Shaun Bannister first dated in high school. Years later, while Dawn was living in Corpus Christi, Texas, the two reconnected online. During a visit home with her mother, Dawn and Shaun met up again—and the rest was history. Dawn returned to Corpus Christi, asked for a transfer with her job, and within a month, she had moved back home. Their teenage love had found its way back to them, and the two married June 23, 2012, bringing their love story full circle.

Above all, Dawn was a protector. She loved fiercely and would defend the people she loved with everything she had. That protective nature was evident even as a young girl. Her sister remembers Dawn, while still in middle school, being ready to take on a high school student because she believed the girl had disrespected her sister. If you were hers, she had your back.

Even in her final days, Dawn, with the help of her sister, planned and pulled off a big surprise for her niece as she moved into her first home. Making sure Isa felt loved and celebrated was important to Dawn.

Dawn was preceded in death by her father, Charles M. Hollinsworth; her grandmothers, Marie Boyster Russell and Betty Hollinsworth; and her grandfathers, Billy Russell and Lee Bridgeman

She is survived by her husband, Shaun Bannister; her mother, Judith E. Russell; her sister, Wendy (Roy) Reyes; her niece, Isa Reyes; and aunts, uncles, and cousins.

There will be no formal services for Dawn.  Her family is asking to pay it forward by doing good deeds in her honor.

Let her love continue moving from person to person, just as she gave freely throughout her life.

She will be deeply missed, fiercely remembered, and forever loved.

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