Mother and daughter team serve side-by-side at Pacific Springs

Some relationships are easy to recognize. They show up in small, everyday moments: in a glance across a room, in a laugh shared down the hallway, in the quiet reassurance of simply knowing someone is there. At Pacific Springs in Omaha, that kind of connection is unmistakable in Deanna Garcia and her daughter, Dawn Hawley.

They work just doors apart. They collaborate often. They support each other without hesitation. But what truly sets them apart isn’t proximity: it’s the deep, steady love that moves through everything they do.
Spend time with them, and you feel it.

Finding their way back to each other

Deanna’s story is rooted in Omaha. “I was born and raised here,” she says with a smile, the kind of familiarity that comes from a lifetime in one place. 

It’s also where Dawn grew up, spending her early years exploring movement and performance, interests that would later profoundly shape her path. After school, Dawn’s path took her far from home. Driven by creativity and discipline, she pursued a career as an aerial performer, traveling across the country, performing, and building a life that was anything but ordinary.

But life has a way of redirecting us.

After suffering a serious neck injury, Dawn returned to Omaha. What began as a necessary pause slowly became something more meaningful: a chance to rebuild, to rediscover purpose, and to reconnect with family. 

“It’s really just like Jesus came into my life and rescued me,” Dawn said. “And over time, he put me right here.”

For Deanna, having her daughter home again was more than just a relief; it was a gift. “It was hard not to have her here,” she said simply. “When she decided to come home, that was awesome.”

Being back in the same city created space for something that hadn’t been possible for a long time: daily interaction with each other. With that, they have developed the kind of relationship that grows not in big moments alone, but in the steady presence of everyday life.

Work that reflects who they are

Neither of them imagined that Dawn’s return would eventually lead to them working side-by-side at Pacific Springs.

Deanna joined Immanuel first, stepping into her role as a Retirement Living Consultant. Her position is centered on relationships, trust, and helping prospective residents feel a sense of belonging before they even move in.

Not long after, Dawn began exploring career opportunities of her own. She initially pursued a different role within Immanuel, one that aligned with her background in fitness and exercise science. However, after a series of interviews, it didn’t come through.

“I almost got it,” Dawn recalled. “And I cried and cried and cried.” 

That disappointment, however, didn’t last long. Soon after, a Life Enrichment Specialist role opened at Pacific Springs. It was a position more fully aligned with her creativity, performance background, and passion for engaging others. When she stepped into the job, it quickly became clear it was the right fit.

Today, Dawn helps shape daily life in the community by creating opportunities for residents to connect, express themselves, and find new ways to be happy. Her creativity, drawn from years of performance and exploration, has found a new purpose here.

Deanna sees it every day. There’s a mother’s pride in her voice, but also something deeper: gratitude.

“Seeing her so fulfilled with the mission and the purpose both of Immanuel and her role makes me happy,” Deanna said. “I can tell that when she says it's her dream job, she means it. She's very happy and satisfied, and she's shining through it.”

Sharing a mission

Their roles naturally complement one another. Deanna invites people into the story of Pacific Springs; Dawn brings that story to life.

From creative writing clubs to community outings, from art galleries to performances that blend dance and storytelling, Dawn’s work adds texture and meaning to daily life. One resident who missed leading a creative writing group found it reimagined at Pacific Springs, an idea that has since blossomed into something cherished across the community.

For Deanna, moments like these make her work more meaningful. When she introduces Dawn to prospective residents during tours, it’s not just as a colleague, it’s as someone who embodies what the community stands for. For Dawn, working alongside her mother brings a rare kind of confidence.

“I trust everyone here to really have the heart for the residents,” Dawn said. “But I know that my mom operates that way, genuinely, and serves the residents with that heart. That means a lot to me. I know if I send someone to my mom, they’re going to have a really good experience.”

It’s the kind of trust that doesn’t have to be explained, only lived.

Holding each other through it all

Life in a senior living community can be rich with positive experiences, but it also holds moments of loss. Residents become friends, mentors, and extended family. Saying goodbye can be deeply personal.

For Dawn, having her mother nearby during those moments has been a source of comfort she doesn’t take lightly.

“When a resident passes, my mom can kind of share in that grief with me,” Dawn said. “We can share stories about that person and maybe go to their service together. It's way easier than doing it all on your own.”

In those moments, their relationship becomes something even more profound. They’re not just coworkers, not just family, but companions in both happiness and sorrow.

Deanna feels that, too: “We support each other in the hard times, and we have a lot of fun celebrating the wins too.”

A friendship rooted in faith

At the heart of their connection is a shared faith that shapes how they live, work, and care for others.
They spend time together outside of work: in Bible study, theology classes, shopping excursions, family dinners, and other quiet, personal routines. Their relationship has grown not just stronger, but deeper. It is built on honesty, trust, and a genuine enjoyment of each other’s company.

“There are times when it’s easy to forget she’s my mom,” Dawn laughed. “We could just be buddies.”

Maybe that’s what makes their bond so special; it holds both truths at once. They are mother and daughter. They are friends. They are partners in purpose.

The gift of now

After years spent apart during Dawn’s travels, present-day life feels especially meaningful to both of them. Even the smallest interactions, a quick greeting in the hallway, a shared moment between meetings, carry weight.

“I don’t think I could get too much time with you,” Deanna tells her daughter with a mother’s smile.

Dawn feels it, too, with a quiet awareness that this time is something to be cherished. “I’m trying to soak up these moments,” she said.

Their story is woven into the life of Pacific Springs. It is felt in the warmth they bring, the care they give, and the way they show up for each other, day after day. Deanna and Dawn offer something truly inspiring: a glimpse of what it looks like when relationship, purpose, and heart align.

They are a reminder that some of life’s most powerful moments go beyond simply being related or sharing the same workplace. They come from choosing each other again and again, with love, intention, and gratitude.