Verna Mae Dorsey

A Celebration of the Life of Verna Mae Dorsey Verna Mae Dorsey was born on May 1, 1926 in Baltimore, Maryland to Harold C. Stepeau and Nellie Stepeau (Matthews). From this marriage two daughters were born, Verna and Shirley Stepeau. After this brief marriage Nellie met and married James C. Wright and as early teen-agers Verna and Shirley embraced him as their second father. Verna attended the public schools in Baltimore and graduated from Frederick Douglass Senior High School. In her early years she worked at the Goldfield theater in the ticket booth. In 1946 she met and later married Warren Mason and as a result of this marriage two girls were born, Michelle Mason (Washington) and Wanda Mason (Williams). When their marriage ended, Verna worked at the Bridge Movie and Regent Movie houses again in the ticket booth as she nurtured and cared for her daughters and grandmother Maggie Matthews on Woodbrook Avenue. In 1956, an opportunity became available for Verna to train for a cashier position in the newly opened Mondawmin Mall at the Penn Fruit & Co. Supermarket. This job offered a favorable chance for Verna and her daughters to move into their own apartment on Gwynns Falls Prkwy. close to her new job. She had become acquainted earlier with Shederick N. Dorsey, fondly known as “Egie”whom she had known from living on Woodbrook Avenue. They became engaged and in 1959 they married and the newly-weds soon moved to Finney Avenue. In 1964, they were blessed with the birth of their son Vernon N. Dorsey. During her life Verna was a member of a few clubs. The Le Femmes, the Cliques and the Friday Niter’s. Through her four-decade affiliation with these clubs she maintained life-long relationships with these women, who first were friends. They played cards, traveled and bowled ten-pins. With her family, Verna traveled the states and enjoyed yearly summer visits to relatives in Atlantic City, NJ. Later in Verna’s life, after her husband Egie passed, she decided to move from Finney Avenue to her new residence in Stadium Place where she gained a complete new set of friends and new neighbors. During that time, both daughters took individual times to live with and comfort her. She leaves to cherish her memory, her sister Shirley V. Parker and her brother Matthews Wright. Her daughters Michelle Washington, Wanda Williams, and son Vernon N. Dorsey (Arleen). Her children provided her with eight Grand-children; Clarence R. Washington (Traci), Warren Zubari Washington (Tempris), Anthony Williams, Edward Williams, Jr., Michelle Gordon (Deon), Michael Dorsey, Christopher Dorsey, LaQuan Shelman, and LaShawn Womack. Verna had 16 Great-grand-children, and 27 Great-Great-grand-children. Verna also embraced a host of cousins, nephews, nieces and friends she loved that were too numerous to mention. She no longer walks among us, she’s been given wings!

Tributes

Verna Mae Dorsey

May 1, 1926 - November 15, 2024