On November 18, 2018, Veronica Elizabeth Dapson, at 99 years young, went to be with the Lord she loved so dearly. Besides her loving family, she leaves behind so many who loved her for her joy, her kindness, her youthful spirit and her smile that would light up a room. She was not ill; her spirits were high; but God and her dearly-departed husband, Stephen, simply decided it was now their time to take her back.
It was only one week prior, on November 11, 2018 (coincidentally Veterans’ Day), that the DAR honored Veronica for her 4 years of service in the WAAC and WAC, and her pioneering enlistment in the Women’s Army Corps right after Congress passed legislation allowing women to join the military. She was driven to do her part by joining her six enlisted brothers in the war effort. The City of Brevard proclaimed November 11, 2018, as “Veronica Dapson Appreciation Day”. Gratefully, she departed this life with an incredible sense of joy and pride filling her heart from that day.
But her selfless approach to life was not defined by just her military service – her whole life was a continuing journey of love, devotion and sacrifice. Veronica, whose parents were naturalized Hungarian immigrants, was born in Cleveland, OH, in 1919 and was the third oldest of 12 children – six boys and six girls. In 1938, the Greater Cleveland Exposition honored the Nehez family as the largest Hungarian family in all of Ohio. With such a large clan, and a Great Depression befalling them, sacrifice and “making do” were part of the fabric of their lives. As one of the oldest, she was a big part of raising and nurturing the family. Now an enormous family with subsequent generations, the incredible closeness of the Nehez lineage is a testament to her lifelong devotion to her family and friends.
Veronica was the only sibling to leave Cleveland, swept off her feet by Army Capt. Stephen Dapson after meeting on the train headed home for leave in 1946. They married and settled in New York, where Stephen was building a career at AT&T, and they added a son and two daughters to their family. But tragedy struck when, in 1961, Stephen died young of cancer, leaving Veronica with a home in Yorktown Heights, NY and three young children to raise and provide for as a single Mom. Relying on modest wages from a school system position, her incredible resolve, and her strong faith, Veronica made sure they didn’t just survive, but thrive. Taking nothing for herself, she raised all three kids through college; gave both daughters beautiful weddings; opened her home to her aging mother, and for years to a sister when she most needed her; and kept that house for 55 years until moving to Atlanta with her daughter Debora and son-in-law Richard Smith at the age of 86. Veronica worked until the age of 76, and her big heart and constant smile made her an icon to decades of Yorktown High students. Through much of that time, she also remained a committed volunteer with the elections board, supporting and advocating for the rights she joined the military to protect.
Keeping in touch was a fire that burned within Veronica. She was a consummate letter-writer and card sender. Despite a huge extended family, and a legion of friends, she was never known to miss a birthday or anniversary. With little time to herself, she gave it to others with her hundreds of cards and letters every year. And every card to every relative, no matter the generation, no matter how small the amount, just had to have a check enclosed. That was Veronica. While she often had precious little for herself, in her mind and heart she had everything.
In addition to her husband, Veronica is predeceased by her parents, Steven and Mary (Horvath) Nehez, her grandson Jonathan Daly, her sisters Goldie and Margie, and her 6 brothers, Edward, Elmer, William, Louie, Ernie and Frank Nehez. She is survived by her son Stephen of MD; daughter Debora and son-in-law Richard Smith of Brevard; daughter Cathy Daly of Daytona Beach; grandson Christian Daly of MA; granddaughter Jenifer Smith of OR; grandson Brian Smith and his wife Alexa of CT; grandson Daniel Dapson of MD; great-grandson Jonathan Thomas Daly of NY; sisters Anna Melega, Ethel Lionti, and Julie Lucchese, all in Cleveland, OH; and dozens of nieces and nephews and their families, in a multi-generational Nehez clan that numbers over 100.
No one was kinder to everyone she would meet and greet; no faith and love of her Lord and God stronger. Everyone she met came to love her like their own mother or sister. Never forget the beautiful spirit that rode in Brevard’s Memorial Day parade every year, in the blue Corvette, immensely proud to be “Transylvania’s oldest living WWII Army veteran”.
A memorial service, with Military Honors, will be held on December 15, 2018, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church at 11:00 am, with a reception immediately following. Military interment will follow later, alongside her beloved husband, at Long Island National Cemetery in Pinelawn, NY. Fittingly, the woman who shared everything would love “Sharing House” to receive your donations in her memory, in lieu of flowers. Alternatively, a Veteran-focused charity known as “Project Healing Waters”.
Online condolences may be left at www.moodyconnollyfuneralhome.com

Moody-Connolly Life Celebrations, 181 S. Caldwell Street, Brevard, NC 28712.

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