Dawn Yvette Ross Chatman was born in Houston, Texas on July 14, 1954 to G.C. and Myrtle Ross.  Dawn was baptized at an early age and accepted Christ into her life as her personal Lord and Savior. She was also a member of First South Main Baptist Church throughout her life.  Although the 4 ^th of 8 children, Dawn spent her life standing out of the crowd, in part through her lifelong devotion to learning and her love of science.

A lifetime resident of Houston, Texas, and particularly the south side of the City, her education began at Sunnyside Elementary School (now Ethel M. Young Elementary), continued at Attucks Middle School and Worthing High School, then culminated in a cherished Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Houston, where she majored in Biology.  Dawn spent her life working in the life sciences, first while a student at both Ben Taub Hospital and in a research lab at UT Health Science Center of Houston, where she was involved in early HIV/AIDS research, then at Baylor College of Medicine following her graduation from the University of Houston, where she focused on the diagnosis of conditions through cytogenetics, and finally at NASA, where she studied cell growth in Rotary Cell Culture Systems (RCCS) to determine the impact of microgravity on tissues, cancer tumors, and virus cultures. She was especially proud of her time at NASA, which enabled her to attend shuttle launches and interact with astronauts who continued growth of her cell lines in space.

On July 2, 1976, Dawn married Melvin Chatman, Jr.  To this union two children, Carliss and Cherika (Cheri) were born.  She gifted her daughters with the best of herself, and in them you can see her tenacity, love of education and literature, her drive to help others, and a strong adherence to principle. Dawn's passions were infectious, and her fortitude was unmatched.  A fierce competitor, her friends and family will attest that she never admitted to losing a game of cards, Scrabble, or Monopoly—and if she did it would be easier to let her win. Dawn was an amazing swimmer, having spent summers in high school as a lifeguard, and as a result nearly every family vacation involved time on the water swimming and fishing.  The entire family shares her love of beaches and sunsets, and has learned to share her love of gardening—with the acknowledgment that we will never duplicate her prize-winning roses or world record sized plants and vegetables.  She also had a love of animals, and as a result the Chatman family rarely met a stray that did not end up as the family's latest pet.

Dawn loved spending time with her family most of all.  Her door was always open, and wherever she lived was filled with the sounds of her large extended family—both blood relatives and chosen.  No one who knew Dawn would ever be homeless, therefore many can recount a time spent in the Chatman home when they were in need.  When she departed this life on October 18, 2022 she left behind her husband Melvin Chatman, her daughters Carliss and Cherika Chatman, her goddaughter and niece Tayler Harris, and her beloved granddaughter Maya Balthazar.  She also leaves her siblings Gwendolyn (Gwen) Roscoe, Gregory Ross, Debra Guidry, Kenneth (Kenny) Ross, Shirley Baker, Robin Ross, and Bridget Ross; and her nieces and nephews Paul (Skip) Guidry, Krystal Hardeman, Stuart Hardeman, Shauna Ross, Gregory (Carl) Ross, Jr., Erica Ross, Courtney Ross, Ashley Ross, Daniel Ross, Kenneth (Jahmil) Ross, Kendra Lynn Ross, Mary Ross, Quintin Baker, Jesseka Baker, Shanel Baker, Toren Johnson, Darius Emanuel, and DeVante Emanuel; and a host of other relatives and friends.  She is predeceased by her parents Myrtle and G.C. Ross, and her niece Ya'Kendra (Wendy) Ross.

Dawn's memory and legacy is a blessing to all who know and love her.