Dawn Fratangelo, is a friend and former award winning network news anchor, reporter and correspondent for NBC and CBS. She traveled the world covering national and international stories, meeting important heads of state and celebrities, yet she says her favorite was meeting all the wonderful people across America.
Dawn and I met in college and I'm so glad we got to spend some time together to talk about her mother, Erma Jean O'Connor. Erma Jean grew up on a farm in upstate New York. She was one of seven children, 6 girls and 1 boy and she had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to laugh.
A no nonsense woman, Erma Jean's 3 kids were her top priority. After time as a victim of abuse and an alcoholic husband, she left her husband and moved back in with her parents.
At 4 years old, Dawn helped her mom as she struggled with all the challenges of being a single parent and having to go out and find a job.
Overcoming obstacles and jumping over hurdles was the mainstay for many years but the years were filled with lots of love and laughter and Dawn says her mom "was her most important being."