Dana May McWilliams, age 19, of Bethany passed away on Saturday, November 25, 2017 in Wellington, FL.
Dana, the youngest of three children, was born on September 19, 1998 in Derby, CT to Robin Diaz and David McWilliams Snr. She attended Seymour and Bethany schools and graduated from Nonnewaug High School in Woodbury, CT in 2015 where she studied Horse Management.
Most recently, Dana was noticed by the equestrian trainer and show-jumper trainer Maarten Huygens, and was thrilled to move from Connecticut to South Florida to pursue her passion working with horses as a groom. She had spent her summers training on a farm near her former home in Bethany, CT. While relatively new to the field of show-jumping, she was recognized as quick to learn the ropes and earned a reputation for being a hard worker and a young woman with enormous potential due to her phenomenal work ethic and dedication to her work and to horses.
Dana truly lived life to the fullest through some of life’s most simple pleasures; spending time with her loving family and friends, quadding, fishing, traveling, and doing almost anything that involved being outdoors and working with animals, especially her dog, Sophie. She loved music and had a particular affinity for the music of Phil Phillips, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Led Zeppelin and Janis Joplin.
Dana’s friends and family will remember her fondly as someone who inspired them with her honest love in all her relationships and her pure joy for life. Everyone she met recognized a beauty about her that was found both inside and out.
She is survived by her mother Robin Diaz and step-father Jose Diaz of Bethany, David McWilliams Snr. of Ansonia, her sister Brittany Nebelsky of Bradenton, FL, and her brother David McWilliams Jr. and sister-in-law Jessica McWilliams of Singapore. Dana will on forever in the hearts of all she touched.
Family, friends, and others whose lives Dana touched are invited to a memorial service on Sunday, December 3, 2017 at 2:00pm at Seymour United Methodist Church at 90 Pearl Street and will be followed by a fellowship luncheon.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Connecticut Draft Horse Rescue at 113 Chestnut Hill Road, East Hampton, CT 06424 in honor of Dana May McWilliams.
