Barbara Purks Davies

Barbara Purks Davies passed away peacefully surrounded by her family on May 17, 2023. Born on September 14, 1937 in Colonial Beach, VA and raised in King George County, VA, she knew what it was like to live without electricity, to have an outhouse, and the real use of the Sears Catalog. Barbara lived her 85 years to the fullest. In her first five years out of college, she realized being a secretary at a law firm was not for her, dated a musician who would go on to be very famous, and moved to Chicago to be a stewardess for United Airlines. But it was while in Chicago that she recognized her true calling—teaching.

So, back to Virginia she went to pursue her second degree. During that time, she decided she wanted to see the world. By 1968, she was on her way to Okinawa to teach at Hauge Elementary School for the Department of Defense. It is there, at the Sukaran Officer’s Club, that she would meet and eventually marry her beloved husband, Chuck Davies, in 1969. Briefly calling Chicago and then Richmond home, they eventually settled in Fairfax County. Always up for an adventure, Barbara and Chuck moved back to Okinawa in 1978, but this time with two children in tow. Another appointment would find them in South Korea for two additional years.

Barbara’s career included teaching at Seoul International School, Springfield Estates and Hollin Meadows Elementary School, both in the Fairfax County Public School (FCPS) system. Eventually retiring in 2005, she immediately returned to teaching in 2006 because she couldn’t just stay at home and had more to give. She was an amazing teacher who understood children and had the patience, kindness, and sense of humor to reach any child. Eventually she did fully retire from FCPS and then quickly discovered teaching English to adult learners. She stepped away from that at 82, but only because of Covid, not because she actually thought it might be time to really retire.

She was ahead of her time in many ways, never letting the world tell her what she could or could not do, nor what she should or should not think. She never saw age as a reason to stop learning and doing new things. She jogged before jogging was a thing. She received her Master’s in Education in her late 50s. She educated herself on anything and everything. She was an avid reader and one of the highlights of her later years was her book club. She recognized injustices in the world and defended her stance to anyone who questioned her position. She never backed down from a war of words and stood up for what she believed, including going door to door canvasing for candidates she supported into her 80s. And, she did all of this while treating others with respect and kindness, most of the time.

Barbara was not a woman to mince words. You always knew where you stood with her. If you were lucky enough to call her family or friend, never did you doubt how much she loved and supported you. Her patience was never ending as well as her sense of adventure. At 77, she went sky diving. At 82, she was dog sledding near the artic circle. She never stopped surprising those around her.

She was predeceased by her brother Earl and his wife Dianne.

Barbara is survived by her husband Chuck; her brother William and his wife Kathy; her children Juliana and Greg; her five grandchildren Devon, Colton, Luca, Jake, and Alek; her nieces and nephews Sandy, Elise, John, Eric, Megan, Adam, and Amy; and her three cats Abby, Lady Grey, and Socks.