Martha Jane Dawson

Visitation will be on April 14, 2017 at 10:00 am at New Rochelle Seventh Day Adventist Church, 456 Webster Ave, New Rochelle, NY 10801.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am following the visitation with the Pastor Dr. Samuel B. Blair of New Rochelle SDA Church, officiating. Burial will follow at Mount Hope Cemetery, 50 Jackson Ave, Hastings-On-Hudson, NY 10706. Arrangements are by Riverside Memorial Chapel in Mount Vernon, NY.

Martha was born in Waterbury, Connecticut to Harriet (Perry) Bond and William Jackson on August 31, 1929. She was an only child. She received her formal education in the Mamaroneck, Larchmont and New Rochelle public schools. She married and divorced John Henry Dawson, Jr. She was a graduate of New Rochelle Community College. She retired from the New Rochelle Board of Education after having served as a Secretary for the New Rochelle High School Music Department, serving for over 23 years. She was a lifetime resident of New Rochelle, except for her last three years when she moved to Indianapolis, IN to be closer to her beloved family.

Martha was a devoted Seventh Day Adventist. She was an active and faithful member of the New Rochelle SDA Church. Her dedication to the work of the church was demonstrated through her service as communication secretary, chancel choir, sabbath school, personal ministries, and community ministries member. Her passion was music, demonstrated by her membership in various chorales, one of her favorites was the New Rochelle Chorale. She was also very active in the religious community, even being a radio announcer for the religious show “Discovery” which airs every Sunday morning on WVOX.

She was multi-talented, generous, and loved life, living it to the fullest. Whatever she strived to do or achieve was done with exquisite taste and style. Service to family and friends was easy for her. She often spoke about the loves of her life; her sons, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She was very loyal to her friends and family. Equality & acceptance between her sons John & David was of the utmost importance to Martha, regardless of fault or circumstance; she loved them whole-heartedly. Martha quietly passed to her rest on April 7, 2017, confident that God had led her all the way. She is now awaiting the call of the life giver. Her life can be summed up as a “Servant of God and a friend to man.”

Martha is preceded in death by her mother, Harriet (Perry) Bond.

Martha leaves to cherish her loving memory: sons John Henry Dawson III & David Charles Dawson; grandchildren: Marc & David Dawson, Jason Dawson (Shawna Loy Dawson), Ashti Dawson, Scott Dawson, Jahmani Dawson (Misty Hall Dawson), Davina Dawson, and Damascus Dawson; great-grandchildren: Dominic Gutierrez, Celeste Gutierrez, Malaysia Moore, Milan Dawson, Cameron Dawson, Saniya Dawson, MJ Dawson, Alexandria Amaro, and Zoe Dawson.

Pallbearers will be: John Dawson III, Jason Dawson, Jahmani Dawson and friends.

The family of Martha Dawson wishes to extend our sincere thanks to New Rochelle Seventh Day Adventist Church, Capitol City Seventh Day Adventist Church, St. Vincent’s Hospice, Dr. William Lee and countless other family and friends for their friendship, support, love, prayers, phone calls and most of all we thank God and say, “To God Be the Glory.” Martha, we are blessed for having spent time with you!

Never too hurried to stop for a while

And lend folks her help through the year,

Never too worried to have a sweet smile

That’s sure to bring somebody cheer.

Always forgiving in her own dear way Thoughtful in all that she does-

Doing and giving her best day by day

No wonder so many loved her.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18

The Coming of the Lord

13 But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.

14 For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.

15 For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord,[a] that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep.

16 For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

17 Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord.

18 Therefore encourage one another with these words.