Anna Weberling: Service Close to Home

Nancy Dawson’s values of love and action inspire people every day. The Cincinnati entrepreneur specialized in bringing out the best in people, literally and figuratively. In her work as a makeup artist and founder of Brideface, she did more than make people pretty, she helped them discover their own beauty and strength. Dawson’s fierce loyalty and love of family shaped her life’s journey in unexpected ways—ways that come into focus in this Ohio Values photo of her, her younger sister Jen and her first niece, Hannah. They are joyful and carefree in New York City, an older sister admiring her younger sister’s family—and vintage style. The photo was taken by Jen’s husband, Matt. Nancy, mother of five and founder of the Cincinnati-based nonprofit Transform, died of cancer on April 27, 2020. She had just turned 53.