Dawn Yates Black
July 30, 1930-Aug. 29, 2022
Palo Alto, California
Dawn Yates Black, a longtime resident of Palo Alto, passed away unexpectedly on August 29th surrounded by her family. Dawn will be remembered as the matriarch of her large and extended family. She was a loving wife to Alden Perry Yates (d. 1989) mother of six, grandmother of sixteen and great-grandmother of 9. She was also a loving wife, stepmom and grandmother to Peter Harrell Black (d. 2006), his four children, their spouses and 6 grandchildren.
Dawn was born and raised in Palo Alto by her parents, Carroll and Cloriene Blacker. She had 2 sisters, Phyllis (d. 1978) and Sandy. Dawn attended Palo Alto High School and graduated from Sequoia High School in 1948. In her first week at Stanford, Dawn met Alden on a blind date. They married at Stanford Chapel in 1950, graduated in 1952 and built a beautiful life and family together. They traveled and moved all over the world, following Alden’s job with Bechtel.
Dawn loved life and particularly time with her family. She made many friends playing tennis, golf and bridge. Dawn was proud of becoming a Bridge Life Master in 2015. She loved Bay Area sports. Dawn lived a full life that included many adventures, opportunities and service on numerous boards and organizations such as The San Francisco Opera, The California Pacific Medical Center, and Menlo School. Dawn will be missed by all who knew her.
Dawn leaves behind her sister Sandy Blacker, six children, Steve (Stephanie), Mike (Lynn), Karen Weiss (Van), Jeff, Russ (Barbara), and Trish Mitchell (Mark), 16 grandchildren and their spouses, Whitney (Ryan), Mary (Todd), Jennifer, Stephen, Patrick (Katie), Parker (Lauren), Carson (Alex), Miles, Ryan (Tara), Perry (Andrea), Julie (Howie), William, Morgan, Sedona, Alden, Flint and 9 great-grandchildren, Hannah, Lillian, Colton, Reese, Bryton, Summit, Jack, Johnny and Josie.
In honor of Dawn’s life, donations may be made to the California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, designated for the Alden P. Yates Colon Cancer Fund, the San Francisco Opera, or Guide Dogs for the Blind.
