Alfonso Dawson Mortuary

Born the son of sharecroppers, there weren’t many job opportunities for Dawson in the 1950s except becoming a teacher or a funeral director.He chose to become a funeral director and set out to make his mark in the business culled in gray and black by adding a splash of color.“He came with his maroon and beige cars, his bright colors and bright windows with natural lighting,” said Dawson’s daughter, Phoebe Dawson Ushery, who now runs Alfonso Dawson Mortuary, Inc., at 3000 Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive. “It revolutionized the funeral business. He was a trendsetter. He came with his colors and changed the look of funeral homes."But Dawson did more than just change the look of the funeral business; with the help of his wife, the storyteller with the dry sense of humor also built a legacy.Dawson married his wife, Elizabeth Latimer, in 1953 and the following year they opened Dawson Mortuary in their hometown of Warrenton. In 1961, they opened a second funeral home in neighboring Thomson.Still “It wasn’t enough,” Ushery said. “He wanted to take on more. Atlanta was the big city, the big step to take on bigger challenges."With Elizabeth Dawson’s style and grace and Dawson’s vision and flare, the couple moved to the Cascade Heights neighborhood in Atlanta in 1965 where they found the final resting place for their business. They sold the other two funeral homes.Together, they worked long hours to take care of the business and their growing family.“She was a trendsetter in fashion,” said daughter Kathy Dawson, who runs the family’s Resthaven Gardens of Memory cemetery in Decatur. “She believed women should own their own business and property.“He was honest, helping the community. He had a dry sense of humor and loved to tell great little stories,” Kathy Dawson said. “He enjoyed people, was a good business man, had vision, know-how. He set the standard for doing every family right."To Dawson, each family was important and he wanted to be a part of what they were going through. And that sense of service extended beyond his business.“He liked to help ... (Patch.com)

An Atlanta mother was arrested this week in the shooting, which has shaken many in the city.The shooting took place on Etheridge Drive on the city's southeast side. A warrant for the arrest of 31-year-old Shatora Jones was obtained by Atlanta police on Monday. She is charged with involuntary manslaughter, reckless conduct and cruelty to children.As Patch previously reported, Sincere Jordan, an honor roll student, was shot and killed on the holiday as he played with a group of youths at an apartment complex. An 11-year-old shot Sincere, but authorities said the weapon, a 9 mm pistol, belonged to Jones. "The weapon was in a place where, obviously, the children were able to access it, so that is why she is being charged with reckless conduct," Atlanta police Maj. Adam Lee told news cameras Tuesday.Read more: Atlanta boy, 10, shot and killed on Fourth of JulyShatora Jones, 31. Credit: Atlanta Police Department“Jones is the resident of the apartment where the shooting take place and the mother of two of the children who were present,” the Police Department said, according to Atlanta Loop.Jones was granted a $25,000 bond, Fulton authorities told Patch.Meanwhile, relatives of Sincere say that he was a smart boy with a lot of promise.“He was a nice, respectful, little young boy,” Tedra Jordan, the slain boy's aunt, told WXIA-TV.Sincere was rushed to Grady Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.Funeral arrangements for Sincere are set for 11 a.m. Wednesday, July,12 at West Side Community CME Church. Alfonso Dawson Mortuary is handling the arrangements.Image via Atlanta PDGet free real-time news alerts from the Atlanta Patch.Thanks for your feedback! Now share it with your friends!Thanks for your feedback.-- -- ? Subscribe to the free daily newsletter from Patch-- -- -- -- -- Originally published July 12, 2017. (Patch.com)