In anticipation of Valentine’s Day a tremendously floppy pink stuffed bunny sits atop a bed of perfect pink roses, arms wrapped around a box of chocolates. Around the room ribbons drizzle from shelves, silken flowers rise up from buckets and a refrigerator secures lipstick red roses.
“There are a lot of people who are born florists and I think I’m one of them,” said Dhu Parsons of Lynchburg as she worked on an onslaught of Valentine’s Day orders.
That wasn’t the plan of course, not by a long shot.
After her first year of college, where she was studying journalism, she returned home for summer to work in a flower shop.
“I just had a natural talent for putting flowers together,” said Parsons, who decided not to go back to college and soon had her own floral business. From there she became a bridal consultant, caterer and international speaker on floral design.
“Dhu it with flowers,” is always the name of her talk said Parsons, now 90 years old. She still speaks at local ladies’ clubs where she demonstrates arranging sweetheart rose and feather carnation corsages, among others.
“My favorite is the red rose,” said Parsons. “I love every flower though, just so long as they smell good and people appreciate them.”
As a speaker and floral designer she wants to inspire her audiences to give flowers to loved ones throughout their lives, and not wait.
Parsons, who suffered a stroke about six years ago, has no intention of retiring that mission either. There is satisfaction in pleasing people and helping them through times of sorrow, said Parsons, who is often called upon for funeral arrangements, which she turns around in a day.
“I’ve taken great pride in my work and it’s paid off,” said Parsons. She has had some of the same customers for more than 30 years. “I would not send out something that I would not be proud to have in my own house.”
“I have no intention of quitting as long as I can see and hear and get around with my cane,” said Parsons.
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