Shirley Verret
If you telephoned Shirley Verret, secretary to John Franklin and Brian Casey, during the holiday season you might have been greeted with a musical performance. Shirley’s been singing Christmas songs on the phone to brighten the day for some court reporters for the last several years. “In my job, I meet a lot of people over the phone. I may never meet them in person, but I feel as if I know them and I try to give them a little joy over the phone,” she explains.
Mother to two “perfect children,” Shirley and her husband Darryl met 27 years ago when both were working in New Orleans. Her older son, Derek began life as a tiny, preemie baby in 1983, but he is now a 6' 7" engineer working for Northrop Grumman. Her younger son, Jeremy is set to graduate from ODU in May and has inherited his Mother’s love of all things having to do with animals and nature.
Dogs are a passion for the family as evidenced by their pet “Frankie” who was found in 2001 with his pads and nails gone and a chain around his neck after having apparently been dragged behind a truck. For four months he was cared for by a local vet and thanks to a feature by WAVY’s “10 on Your Side” people throughout the Hampton Roads area contributed to his care. Several people wanted to adopt him when he recovered, but Frankie—short for Frankenstein—chose to live with Shirley and her family.
Growing up in North Carolina, her first job as secretary and part time newscaster at a radio station led to working for a construction company. Looking for some adventure, she moved to New Orleans, got a job with a law firm there, and met Darryl. Determining that New Orleans was not the place in which they wanted to raise a family, they took into consideration their love of the beach and settled on Virginia Beach for their new home.
In her time away from the office, she works at maintaining a recent significant weight loss with a regimen that includes 40 minutes of aerobic walking five days a week. An avowed “morning person” she enjoys the four day work week that Taylor and Walker instituted last summer. Her graciousness and professionalism have been her hallmark in the 20 years she has worked for Taylor and Walker. She says, “the longer I work here, the more I enjoy my work.”
