“I was born in Rushville, Indiana on August 30th in 1922 and moved to Dayton when I was 12,” Dawson said. “My mother brought us here so she could get a better job.”
Her mother modeled a strong work ethic for Verdell and her brother Charles. She was also a single mother, a rarity in the 1930s and 40s. Having lived through the second World War, Dawson and her family also knew about cutting corners and making ends meet.
By the time Dawson was 16 years old, she was working at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as a night clerk and going to Dunbar High School during the day. After graduating in 1942, Dawson stayed at the base and worked full time.
“World War II had started, and the principal of Dunbar High School encouraged all of us with good grades to get better jobs,” Dawson said. “He encouraged us all to work as much as we could, even while in school.”
Dawson met her husband-to-be, James Harold Dawson, at the base when she was 18. He was a truck driver and transported people all over the base during the war. They got married when Dawson was 20 and together, they had four children: Barbara Mays, born in 1946; Bobby Dawson, in 1947; Beverly Dawson Boyd in 1952 and Bruce Dawson in 1957.
“I still worked and took care of my children,” Dawson said. “I worked there (at WPAFB) for 35 years.”
Not content to sit back and relax, Dawson did what many people did at her age did after retirement. She got another job — as a secretary at the House of Wheat Funeral Home. It was there that she discovered a new passion — flower arranging.
“I watched them bring in flowers for funerals,” Dawson said. “And I really enjoyed looking at all the arrangements.”
Dawson’s son Bobby encouraged her to find something she liked to do. He took her to Sinclair Community College and together they looked for classes in which she had an interest. Dawson decided on a flower arranging class and that class helped inspire her to take her life on yet another path. She then took a class at Rogers Funeral Home to learn how to run a business. She had decided she wanted to own her own flower shop.
Her dream became reality when she opened Colonial Flowers and Gifts on Siebenthaler Avenue in Dayton.
“I really liked arranging flowers,” Dawson said. “I love putting the colors together to see how pretty I can make them.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Her son Bobby helped her purchase the shop and everyone in Dawson’s family worked there at one time or another over the years.
“Good help is hard to find,” Dawson joked. “That’s why I had the whole family work there.”
Dawson kept the shop for seven years before closing it and during that time she met and befriended her customers. She learned about people while ensuring they got the flowers they needed at the time they needed them.
“When you are talking to people, sometimes you just know that making them a pretty flower arrangement will help them feel better,” Dawson said. “It helps you that you are helping them.”
Dawson’s oldest daughter Barbara agreed. She has watched her mother in action throughout her entire life.
“God has mom here for a reason,” Barbara said. “It was hard raising us kids and working. And she always made sure we went to church every Sunday.”
And it was at that church — Summit Christian Church in Trotwood — that Dawson also volunteered for many years. In addition to serving as a church elder, she has served as president of the Gospel Chorus, chair of the Christian Women’s Fellowship and Dorcas Group, chair of the Senior Network, and president of the congregation among other leadership roles.
Church Elder Joann Bankston said Dawson also started the fund for the PA system and “basically has done it all.”
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Credit: CONTRIBUTED
Now enjoying retirement as it’s meant to be for any centenarian, Dawson said it means sitting at home and doing what she wants to do. She still arranges flowers at home and said her favorite thing is being with family. This now includes 12 grandchildren and 12 great grandchildren, as well as all four of her adult children. She is also grateful for her special friend Mary Ellen Young.
As for living such a long life, and still being able to do most things, including driving, Dawson said it’s a mystery.
“I read every day and try to exercise when I can,” Dawson said. “I think it’s been my faith that has helped me get this far in life. God has been with me through it all.”
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