Mildred Vashti Dennis, daughter of the late Hulda Louella Cannady of Franklinton, North Carolina, and late William Dunham of Baltimore, Maryland was born on August 28, 1941, in Franklinton and transition peacefully surrounded by family in Orlando, Florida on July 6, 2021.

Mildred was preceded in death by her grandson: Darrin Verrett and siblings: Louise, Filmore, Linda, Esther, Jackie, and Richard;

She is mother to two beloved daughters: Pya Yolande Verrett and Tabetha Leigh Ewing; mother-in-law to Jesse Weaver Shipley; grandmother to Whitney Verrett-Wilkerson (Shawn), Rhianne McCalip, and Daniel Verrett; great-grandmother of Dakaurus Verrett, Saniyah Wilkerson, Shawn Wilkerson, Jr., and Sincere Wilkerson. She was married twice, first to Lonnie Ewing and then to the late Walter Dennis. She was sister to Margaret and Barbara.

Mildred was reared in Baltimore and North Carolina. As the second oldest of nine siblings, she help rear the younger ones from an early age. "Gold Street and "220 Lawrence Street (Baltimore) peppered so many of the her memories. So too did her father's furniture shop where she spent so much time. Hers was a large, boisterous household where many of her most important friendships were founded, but she also established impactful relationships in her neighborhood and at work. One of those relationships, with Spencer Verrett, led to the birth of her precious first-born child, Pya. She met her first husband, Lonnie through her brother, Filmore and she would meet Walter, father of her second daughter, at the United States Post Office. It was hard for her to be so far away from her family following her moves to Virginia and then Florida. Mildred returned to Baltimore to be present as "big sister" for each one in their final illnesses and their losses were deeply painful to her. She loved her nieces and nephews and was proud of the lives they made for themselves.

Mildred was a profoundly spiritual person. At the center of her life's journey was her relationship with God and her continual, thoughtful reflection and study of the Divine. Early in life, she considered becoming a Nun, though she was reared in the Enon Baptist Church in Baltimore. As an adult, she sought out truth by exploring various churches, wanting to know, in her words, the "whole truth of everything: that was "important to God, not man." This led her to the Seventh Day Adventist Church, then back to the Catholic Church, the wisdom of Judaic scholarship, and several non-denominational churches. She was driven to study independently and pray daily, ever in search of an ultimate understanding of Christ. Her knowledge of the Old & New Testament of the Bible was prodigious. Even as her eyes weakened and her hearing diminished, she roused to read selections from the Bible. She knew so well that they rolled off of her tongue from partial memory. She believed fervidly in the power of prayer and prayed for individual family and friends purposefully and with specificity.

Mildred was a lifelong student not just in terms of her spiritual journey but in many realms. Education, formal and informal, was vital to her. She attended Eastern High School in Baltimore and began college at the great University of Maryland. Her mind was always active as she sought new directions and innovative approaches to understanding the world. She studied Spanish and home restoration on her own. She took horseback riding lessons before her health declined. She could change the fluids in her car and fix a faulty generator. She was fiercely proud of 'her daughters' and grandchildren's attainment of advanced degrees.

Her professional life was best deflned by her hard work, loyalty, and commitment. She worked two and even three jobs to rear her girls, before making a career in Northern Virginia and Florida AT&T, where she accumulated accolades and awards. Mildred took satisfaction in the rigor and neatness of reconciling accounts and working with a team.

In her down time, she took pleasure in reading, mystery books written by Agatha Christie and Alexander McCall Smith. She did crossword and word search puzzles to keep her mind sharp. Mildred loved classic Hollywood films and music from different artists including: Clyde McPhatter, Shep & The Limelights, Barbra Streisand, and The Supremes.

She loved to drive, exploring back roads and new places, stopping for small treats in search of new flavors and favored comfort foods. Pya would take her on drives as her eyesight diminished. Whitney was her road partner and confidante. Mildred loved visiting Tabetha and Jesse for summers in Vermont where she enjoyed the flowers, birds, and exploring old New England towns. Even though she lived most of her life in cities, she was a country girl at heart.

Shel loved cooking and had a world class sense of taste. For her, food was love and meals were the center of family and spiritual existence. Her subtle palate allowed her to both experiment with innovative fare as well as bring out the best in traditional dishes. She enjoyed cookbooks, seeing them as both guides to explore new worlds and to manifest history on her table. She learned to cook in the old-fashioned way, so when she put on a spread, it included multiple versions of every dish to please every attendee. Her meticulous table was a manifestation of her caring soul. She would recall with twinkling eye cooking country breakfasts in North Carolina which were veritable multi-course feast meant for people who worked hard all day and needed the physical and spiritual sustenance of a hearty meal. She loved holidays and Thanksgiving was her favorite. She did not appreciate commercialism, especially when people tried to leave early to "catch" Black Friday sales. Mildred bequeathed her taste to both of her daughters, Pya, particularly, inherited her cooking mastery and ability to whip up a feast. It was vital to her that each generation teach the next the old recipes and maintain the family holiday traditions.

Mildred had an eye for design and a passion for renovating living spaces to bring out the best in them. She restored the Orlando home that she bought to help rear her grandchildren, teaching herself the skills to do so. She loved trips to Home Depot, inspired by the displays of tools and raw materials she found there. She loved antiquing and was always looking for new pieces to complete a room. Mildred cited her upbringing in a large, sometimes chaotic, household as the source of her appreciation for discipline and order and her lifelong focus on creating loving spaces. Mildred was very proud of keeping a meticulous house.

Mildred did not suffer foolishness. She inspired love and loyalty despite her toughness. As a young woman, she was a stern disciplinarian, reflecting an older generation's sense of responsibility for protecting young people. She held herself and all people to high standards. and they met them when they could, because everyone wanted to please "MD." The common adjective her acquaintances use to describe her is "distinguished." Her noble bearing was one source of the physical beauty she maintained to the end of her life. To her family, she was a no-nonsense person with almost no vanity. One knew to take her at her word and not to question it, especially when her famous neck roll and even more famous eye roll were always ready for quick service to the cause. She viewed herself as reserve, but deeply appreciated a good sense of fun, especially her daughter, Pya's playfulness.

She loved intimate moments with her children and grandchildren and had the empathetic ability to tune into other's people's passion as a way to hold them close; driving Danielle to work and hearing about her favorite musicians; going to a tea shop with Rhianne; exploring scripture with Whitney; going to the beach with Pya; joking with Darrin who cast the same insightful (and sardonic) eye on the world; talking about furniture with Jesse; sneaking off to Hardee's with Shawn; discussing travel, books, and music with Tabetha. She could be incredibly sensitive to the psychological motivations of others, even if she was not always as self-aware. Though she at times sold herself short, she readily saw the beauty in others.

Our matriarch was the strongest amongst us as well as a sensitive soul. She struggled for decades with numerous health concerns. But she seemed to defy the odds time and again and managed to enjoy the small pleasures in life in the midst of the struggles. Her health issues required her mastering multiple areas of Biomedicine and the healthcare industry. Mildred longevity can partly be attributed to her willingness to question Doctors and trust in her own sense of the body. But it can be attributed to the loving care and advocacy of her eldest granddaughter. Through their close bond, Whitney inherited many of her grandmother's best traits. Her own passion for healthcare, serving those with disabilities, and financial disadvantages, is part of her grandmother's legacy. Mildred's legacy exemplified the powerful matriarch whose moral center has been a beacon for us all and carries us forward into the future.

The services for Ms. Mildred Dennis will be live streamed on Sunday, July 11th on www.gailwynnsmortuary.com home page and click "Watch Live Service".