Dawna Edith Doris (James) Nelson

Dawna Edith Doris (James) Nelson, age 63, of Salem, NH, died at home with her loving and devoted husband and caregiver by her side after a long, courageous battle with Lupus and COPD on November 6, 2026.

Dawna was born on November 18, 1962, in Lawrence, MA, to the late Henry James and Eleanor (Haney) James. Dawna grew up in Marblehead, MA, and had resided in both Lynn and Salem, MA, prior to settling in Salem, NH with her husband.

Dawna was a self-made professional and a well-respected Optician. She began her career with LensCrafters in 1988 at the Medford, MA location while obtaining her Opticians license. Through her hard work and determination, Dawna proudly became the Lab Manager at LensCrafters at the Square One Mall in Saugus, MA upon its opening and served in that capacity until she stopped working in 2002 due to illness.

One of Dawna’s biggest joys in life was the love of her animals. She had many cats and dogs throughout her adulthood that she treated as her children. She will be missed by her dog, Thor, and cat, Mechie.

In addition to her soulmate and love of her life, her husband, Dave, Dawna leaves behind her siblings, Denise Martin and her husband, Joseph, of Largo, FL, and Donald James and his wife, Anna, of Charlotte, NC; her stepchildren, Austin Nelson and his wife, Braylee, of Salem, MA, and their children, Kaiser and Damien, and David Nelson, Jr., of Maui, HI; her treasured nieces and nephews, Laura McCarthy and her husband, Mike, of Danvers, MA, Nina Smith of Boston, MA, Natalie Moise and her husband, Mickey, of Lynn, MA, Rebekah James of Houston, TX, Rachel James, Ruth James, Rose Thompson and her husband, Trevias, Renee James and Benjamin James, all of Charlotte, NC, and Katie and Sydney Fitzgerald of Cape Cod; her great-nieces and great-nephews, Alexandria, Briena, Nathan, Alyzah, Izabella, Justice, Ivie, Niomi-Zion, Karmellah, Sterling, Kianna, Doriae and Jasai; her great-great-niece and nephew, Novah and Nikko; and many cousins and friends, especially her best friend for life, Roberta.

In addition to her parents, Dawna is preceded in death by her sister, Darlene James; her sister and brother, Danielle and David; mother- and father-in-law, William and Sandra Greener; sister- and brother-in-law, David and Tracie Fitzgerald; and many aunts, uncles and cousins; and the Nuggets that she’ll never get to eat.

Throughout her life, Dawna held onto her faith, and even through the most difficult days of her illness, her spirit remained strong. While her family grieves the loss of her presence here on earth, there is comfort in knowing that she is no longer suffering, has been made whole again, and is resting peacefully in the presence of the Lord. We know she was greeted with open arms by her parents and sister whom she had missed for so long.

Services are entrusted to Basic Cremation N.E. Of Windham, NH. Burial will be private and a Celebration of Life will be held in the Spring.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Dawna’s memory to: St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.