Marjorie Jean (Wright) Davis

Nov. 6, 1922 — Jan. 29, 2013

Marjorie Jean (Wright) Davis passed away Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2013, at her home in Davis. She was 90.

Marjorie was born in Ashtabula County, Ohio, on Nov. 6, 1922, and grew up as the eldest of three sisters on a dairy farm near Conneaut, Ohio. She received a nursing degree in Cleveland and then enlisted in the Army in 1946. Shortly thereafter she met and married Hamilton S. Davis after a whirlwind 10-day courtship and enjoyed 40 years of marriage until Hamilton’s death in 1986. They started their married life in Panama in the Army, then moved to Grand Junction Colorado and on to Cleveland Ohio to follow Hamilton’s career.

‘Marge’, as she was known to most, moved with her family from Ohio to California in 1966, when ‘Ham’ took a position as chairman of the anesthesia department at the new Medical School at UC Davis. Over the years in Davis she continued working as a part-time nurse in obstetrics, and was active in the community, volunteering for the local charity STEAC, the Pence Art Gallery, and the Book Menders group at the community library.

Marge loved the small-town life of Davis, and was known by her many friends for her sense of style, gracious hospitality and straight talk. She was a brilliant conversationalist and loved world travel and the arts. After a stroke that impaired her speech she continued to travel and found that her slow speech allowed her to be understood more easily than others in the group who spoke quickly as Americans are apt to do. She was an avid reader with a keen wit and probing intelligence.

Marge was fiercely independent, readily laughed to the point of tears, enjoyed a good Manhattan, snuck a smoke now and then, loved jazz (Sarah Vaughn for starters) and the theater, looked forward to a game of bridge with her closest friends, and was curious about almost everything.

Marge was an “aMAYzing” mother, grandmother, wife, and friend and will be greatly missed by her sons Eric of Davis, Scott and wife Rosalie of Davis, and Chris of Seattle; daughter Kim of San Diego; brother-in-law Karl Davis of Davis; and grandchildren Maren, Megan, Jack and Lola.

An informal gathering for friends and family will be held from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 3, at 720 Peach Place in Davis. In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate donations to STEAC (Short Term Emergency Aid Committee) at 1900 E. Eighth Street, Davis, CA 95616.