Cheryl Anne Davis

09/03/1951 – 03/09/2023

Cheryl Anne Davis of Houston, Texas passed away on Thursday, March 9, 2023. She was at home surrounded by family. In 2021 Cheryl was diagnosed with Glioblastoma and began treatment to combat the illness. True to her personality she fought a long and hard two-year battle against it.

She was born on September 3, 1951, to Dr. Earl Dwane Davis and Theodora “Betty” Davis in Houston, Texas. Cheryl attended Pershing Middle School, and in 1970 graduated from Bellaire High School.

Upon graduation she moved to Austin to attend The University of Texas where she became a member of Gamma Phi Beta sorority. Two years after her time at UT she came back to Houston to marry Ray Reno and attend the University of Houston to complete her English degree. To complete her education she earned a Technical Writing Masters from Texas Tech University.

In 1975 Cheryl and Ray welcomed their daughter Christie Anne Reno who became the center of her life.

Cheryl never wanted to spend her working years in the 8 to 5 work routine. She wanted to be able to manage her own work schedule and with her entrepreneurial spirit she started her own accounting practice so she could care for Christie. After eleven years of marriage Cheryl and Ray divorced. A year later during the Huntsville Half Marathon Cheryl met Dave Rainey a fellow runner. The next weekend Dave took Cheryl water skiing, and they were married fourteen months later. This began a 38-year marriage with multiple adventures together.

Cheryl was an avid runner who excelled at the sport winning multiple age group awards at Texas road races. She completed 21 marathons and qualified for the Boston Marathon twice. As Dave branched out into competing in triathlons Cheryl wasn’t far behind where she developed as a strong cyclist. Dave and Cheryl would take turns competing, one would race while the other held the bags. Cheryl completed four Ironman Triathlons including The Ironman World Championship in Hawaii. Cheryl served two terms on the Board of Directors for USA Triathlon the national governing body for the sport. She served one of those terms as treasurer.

Cheryl made many lifelong friends through her participation in running and triathlon. Among them was her good friend Ellen Happe-Phillips who she shared many miles together from the seat of a bicycle.

The center of her life was always family. She was a devoted mother to Christie and later as a caring grandmother to Riley and Noah. Her happiest moments were watching her two grandsons grow and spend time with their beloved “Gamz.”

She enjoyed family gatherings at our home every Thanksgiving where we all came together both young and old. Food, family and watching nieces and nephews growing older every year was always a highlight.

In 1983 Cheryl and Dave stared Runner Triathlete News Magazine which focused on running and triathlon in Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana.They published the magazine for ten years before selling it.

After the magazine Cheryl went into business with her brother Dwane at Eagle Software which specialized in oil and gas reporting. As the company underwent changes Cheryl again using her entrepreneurial spirit broke away and began her own business in oil and gas reporting. Opportunity came her way in 2018 when she became a technical writer for Harris Health System which again allowed her to work from home and manage her own schedule.

She is survived by her husband Dave Rainey who always referred to Cheryl as his “Little Bride.”, her daughter Christie Anne Reno and husband Mike Nelson, grandsons Noah Michael Nelson and Riley John Nelson, sister Kathy Smith and husband Richard Smith, along with numerous nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents Dr. Earl D. Davis, her mother Theodora Davis, her brothers John Kevin Davis, Dwane Davis and Michael Davis and her niece Cory Davis.

The family wishes to thank her niece, Jennifer Bartosh and nephew, Lance Smith for their love and care and the staff at Blue Star Hospice for their warm and attentive support of Cheryl in her final days.Per her wishes, in lieu of a public funeral, the family will gather at a private celebration to scatter her ashes on the waters of the Gulf of Mexico outside the family beach house.

I’m joyfully happy for Cheryl. I can’t see where she is just now or how she is doing.Instead, I settle on happy images that pleases me forever. I’m freezing in time a moment when we were both content together.

Dave Rainey