Fighting, until she could no longer fight, on Saturday, March 23, 2024, Velvet Linda Hafer
passed away peacefully staring out the window of Hospice of Dayton with the sun shining upon
her. She has now joined her beloved son, Brian Hafer, who passed away in 2009 at the age of
33. Velvet was born on June 15,1947, as an only child to Carl and Francis Rogers, and died at
the age of 76. She was a strong-willed person who was a former cheerleader at her alma mater,
Colonel White High School in Dayton, Ohio, a pageant queen, a devoted mother, and an Ohio
State graduate. She earned her Masters in Special Education in Louisville, Kentucky, and
served as a special education educator for 45 years. She retired from Conroe Independent
School District where she lived in Conroe,Texas and The Woodlands, Texas for over 25 years.
She also worked part time at Dillards in both Texas and Ohio for 23 years. Velvet moved to
Dayton, Ohio after retiring from Conroe School District to be closer to family and resided in
Springboro, Ohio at the time of her death. She had been diagnosed with non-alcoholic cirrhosis
of the liver in 2022. She had been receiving treatment for her liver for the past two years. In
June 2023, Velvet received the devastating news that she had small cell lung cancer. She
underwent chemotherapy and radiation, but the cancer metastasized within a few months to her
spine and brain and her body was no longer strong enough to endure any further treatment
except for pain management. She fought as hard as she could, but the cancer was too powerful
and she contracted pneumonia the last couple weeks of her life. She is survived by Bill Hafer,
(Dayton), her daughter, Laura Hafer, (Dayton), her granddaughter, Ashley, (Florida), and several
extended family members and friends. She loved shopping, fresh flowers, the color red, and
being social. Even though she was not ready to leave this life, she lived a fulfilled life. She will be
remembered at Westbrock Funeral Home on Wayne Avenue in Dayton, Ohio, on Thursday, April
18, 2024. The visitation will occur between the hours of 5:00-7:00PM