Barbara S. Davis

BARBARA S. DAVIS ASHEVILLE – Barbara S. Davis, 90, of Webb Cove Rd., Asheville, died on Friday, May 20, 2011, at the Brooks-Howell Home after a period of declining health. Barbara was born on August 15, 1920 in Newark, NJ, to the late Gilbert and Marjorie Stauffer. She graduated from West Orange High School and received her BS in Mathematics from Montclair State University. She taught school in Michigan and New Jersey for several years before entering the U.S. Navy (WAVES) during WWII. She served as a cryptologist and meteorologist during her Navy years. She also met and married her husband of 63 years, Richard M. Davis, while in the Navy. They moved to Beaverdam Valley in Asheville, in 1955. She loved the mountains and embraced the culture and people. She became a member of Asbury Memorial United Methodist Church in 1955 and was involved in many aspects of the church. She served on numerous committees and was the volunteer secretary and treasurer for many years, and sang in the choir for 35 years. She also served as the District Treasurer for United Methodist Women (UMW), working in official capacities at both the local and state level. She worked for 21 years as the Administrative Assistant to the Superintendent of the Asheville District United Methodist Church, retiring in 1982. She was the oldest student at AB Tech when she received a certificate for computer learning. She used that skill on her job at the age of 70. Barbara attended every annual conference ay Lake Junaluska for over 30 years until her health declined. She sat on the Auxiliary Board at Brooks-Howell Home and was involved with fund raising for improvements to the home, most notably the large indoor pool used for therapy. She was a member of the Beaverdam Valley Garden Club and served as a volunteer at the Botanical Gardens. She was proud to have given in excess of 12 gallons of blood to the Red Cross and was disappointed when her blood was no longer considered for use due to medications. Barbara spent countless hours over the years as a volunteer to the Brownie Scots, Girl Scouts, PTA and American Red Cross. She was a voracious reader throughout most of her life, and continued to "read" six or more books a month on tape when macular degeneration left her legally blind. The family appreciates the wonderful care and attention given to her from the Low Vision Group, Mountain Home Care, Brooks-Howell Home, CarePartners Hospice, and all of her friends at Asbury Memorial United Methodist Church. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her daughters, Kathy Louise Davis, and Lynn Elizabeth Davis, and by her brother, Russell Stauffer. Barbara is survived by her husband of 63 years, Richard; daughter, Sharon Lee Norris (John), of Roswell, GA, and grandson, James Matthew Norris, of Atlanta; brother-in-law, Gary Davis (Ginny), of Rochester, NY; sister-in-law, Jeanne Stauffer, of Londonderry, NH, as well as several nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be at 2:00 p.m. on Monday at Asbury Memorial United Methodist Church, with the Revs. Lisa Hartzog-Hannah and Don Turman officiating. Private interment will be in the church's cemetery. Her family will receive friends from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Sunday at Groce Funeral Home on Patton Avenue. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Asbury Memorial United Methodist Church, 171 Beaverdam Rd., Asheville, NC 28804.