Leona M Davis

Many things can be said about Leona M Davis. Known to friends and acquaintances as a friendly, energetic, loving and decisive woman, her compassionate nature would always shine through, revealing her charm, warmth and conscientious demeanor. She was warmhearted, gentle and organized in all the things she sought to accomplish. Leona was a mentor, a natural “teacher” capable of seeing things clearly, leading others and bringing out the best in all of those around her. She generally had a focus on harmony and peace.

Her parents were Clara and Archie John Trenary, who got married January 26, 1910. Leona was raised on a farm until they moved to Richton Park, Illinois. When she was young, Leona's friends and family found that “straightforward” and “honest” were perfect words to describe her. Even as a child, Leona demonstrated strong qualities of self-confidence, perceptive ability and a disposition that was enjoyable to those around her.

Leona grew up with two siblings. She had two brothers, Lawrence and Cliff. She had another brother who passed away shortly after birth. Leona was constantly involved in all sorts of activities with her family. She was even-tempered, taking care not to get involved in too many family conflicts, even though she said her brothers loved to tease her. This quality served her well, in perpetually bringing harmony, understanding and a sense of peace to the family. Leona carried these traits into her adult life and served as one of many reasons why family and friends found her pleasurable and delightful to be around. Leona was a person who genuinely understood and cared for others, making powerful connections with those she knew.

As a young girl, Leona was imaginative, ingenious, clever and a “novel” thinker. Regardless of whether her peers were older or younger, or came from different backgrounds, Leona could easily relate to other kids. She lived on a farm and went to a small school. She had to walk 1 mile to school everyday, they had no car back then. In her spare time she liked playing with her dolls and making clothing for them. Because times were hard, Leona's memorable achievements included working in a dress factory with her mom at age 15, sewing dress parts together. Because she grew up during the depression she learned to work hard at a early age.

During her high school years, Leona had a natural flair for cheering on and applauding just about everyone. She was constantly offering her support and encouragement to fellow members of the groups and activities in which she participated. She was in Glee Club and played basketball. She graduated from Marathon High School in 1938. She did well in school and genuinely enjoyed telling stories in a way that drew people to her. In this way, Leona had a talent for becoming the center of attention, a kind of social catalyst. Leona was often found to be the lead person facilitating a group activity, frequently filling the role of being “the life of the party.” Teachers and classmates knew Leona as an excellent listener. She placed a high value on learning and always understood that there was a new lesson to be grasped waiting for her just around the corner.

Always considered a “good” friend, Leona sought to understand the things that others enjoyed. For this reason Leona always seemed to possess a never-ending collection of acquaintances. Leona’s friends found her easy to know and get along with because of her talent for being socially at ease, adept at conversation, and always amiable in her dealings with others. Leona would always seek to learn what her friends enjoyed, and she would go out of her way to make sure that their needs were met. Leona was always seen as the type of person who was the more gracious giver, but she also loved and appreciated receiving even the smallest gift. Throughout her life she had many friends. While growing up, one of her best friends was Jasmine, nicknamed (Pee Wee). Later in life, she had many good friends like Liz and Nordine.

Her second marriage was to the love of her life Burton E. Davis, August 11, 1963. Leona's first marriage was to Stewart Vaughn, December, 1951 in Laramie, Wyoming. Her second marriage was in the Methodist Church, in Roseville, California. Compassionate and devoted, Leona worked hard to make her family happy. She was always generous with her time and this meant that Stewart Vaughn who's nickname was Dutch and especially, Burton Davis, who's nickname was Buck, came first in Leona’s book. She was always caring and made certain that she considered their feelings. By trusting her emotions, Leona did her best to make sure that both the marriage and home life ran smoothly. This is just one more example of how Leona was truly a person of empathy and love.

Leona’s quality of being a caring and tolerant person who was very accepting of others translated to being a good mother to her children. Leona first experience was caring for her niece Janice after her mother died at child birth, until Jan's father re-married Leona was like a mom to Janice. She shared these values in her first marriage, she had one child with Stewart Vaughn, daughter Shirley. Leona was also blessed with four grandchildren, in which two are deceased, Jeremy Christopher and Jillian Elaine who died in a airplane accident on August 11, 1994. This conflict with the date of her marriage anniversary to Buck made celebrating difficult. Desirae Ashley and Emily Faith were adopted by Shirley and her husband Rick in 2000. Leona related well to children of all ages and was able to connect to them on their level. The children always loved her and she was completely and totally devoted to them.

Leona experienced success in her work life over and over again. Her primary occupation was as a Grocery Cashier. She was employed for 22 years by Safeway. Leona always made the effort to understand what was needed at work, and was well known by her colleagues as a team player. Leona took pride in managing her professional responsibilities and seemed to always know what was necessary to successfully complete a project. Leona was one to take the initiative and her skills at working cooperatively were highly valued. Leona continually sought to learn what her co-workers did well and how they were most effective, a talent that enabled her to help them develop their own potential. She also was loved by many of her customers because of her contagious smile and friendly attitude.

Because she was organized and methodical, Leona took great pleasure in her various hobbies. Her favorite pursuits were learning how to paint pictures after retiring. She also did some ceramics. She was very talented at both. Leona enjoyed sharing her passions with others. Many of her painting and ceramics are highly valued by her family.

Leona derived much satisfaction from outdoor activities. Because she was so instinctive and could always grasp the big picture, Leona delighted in the strategy and inner workings of a competition. Whether it was playing basketball in high school or recreational sports like camping and fishing she always did it well. She also took pleasure in playing slot machines at various casinos in her later years. Leona was also something of a sports fan and enjoyed watching her favorite sport, golf, especially when Tiger Woods was playing. She loved watching her grandchildren play their favorite sports whenever possible.

Throughout her life, Leona was actively involved in professional and community organizations. With a talent for focusing in on exactly what was required to be completed, Leona was known to her peers as being able to strengthen any group endeavor. When called on, Leona was a natural leader who created harmony and good relationships within the group, often putting her own needs aside. Leona’s involvement could easily help structure and organize any part of an organization. An added benefit was Leona’s ability to bring valued principles along with her. Throughout her later years, Leona was an active member of Women's groups in the Church and Community.

Leona was well known to others for her ability to naturally and conscientiously move into action to help others, a quality that placed her as an active contributor to many community activities. Charismatic by nature, she was always viewed by others as someone who built bridges, connected to people, and upheld her personal values. Serving on committees for the Senior Center, Motor home Camping Clubs and Hope & Joy Bible Clubs. Politically, Leona was a Democrat because her mom was. In her later years she was becoming more Republican minded.

Leona’s faith was important to her. She was a member of Our Saviour's Evangelical Lutheran Church. During that time, she was baptised

as an adult at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church, March 26, 2000. She loved and continued to be friends with Pastor Mary Ann. She was compassionate and warm hearted, someone who truly cared for others and that was clearly demonstrated in her work with the congregation.

Though she never did anything solely for individual recognition, Leona was given accolades for her many and varied efforts throughout her life. If the truth were known, Leona was always a little uncomfortable with being singled out for recognition. Some of her most prestigious awards included Friendliest smile, everyone who knew said that!

Leona enjoyed traveling, and because she was so well organized, she would take on the responsibility of planning and scheduling all of the family vacations. Her gift for keeping things lively meant that vacations with Leona were always enjoyable. Favorite vacations included camping and going to beautiful places like The Rocky Mountains, Later in life when she married Buck, they loved to go on Cruises.

Leona was a lover of animals and cherished her pets. Leona's favorite was two family dogs, one was a pound puppy named Smokey they had when Shirley was growing up and the last was their faithful companion "Scooter". They were best friends we had Smokey for about 6 years and Scooter is still by Buck's side at 15 years old. Her family was rounded out by her love for pets, Shirley remembers when they had a parakeet named Butch and a Beagle dog named Freckles when I (Shirley) was young.

When Leona’s retirement finally came in In 1975., she was well prepared. Being the focused and organized person that she was, Leona had taken care to plan for this part of her life. When that time eventually arrived, Leona knew exactly what she wanted to do. Her new life involved relocating to Oxnard, California to be close to her daughter and grandchildren. In retirement, she found new pleasure inlearning to paint beautiful pictures and make ceramic figurines. Her and her husband loved to go camping in their motor home. She was involved in her church and local senior center. She also loved spending time with all her family. Even in retirement, Leona continued to stay in touch with her old friends and made plenty of new acquaintances. She was active in the community and felt fulfilled.

Leona passed away on February 5, 2014 at Clovis Community Medical Center, Clovis California. She always had a strong will to live and overcome many health issues, but, finally at 93 her body and heart were just too tired. She is survived by her daughter Shirley and her son in law Rick; her granddaughters Desirae and Emily; nieces Janice, Edith, Velma, Joyce and Lawrida and nephews Rodger and Robert. No services were held. Leona's ashes will eventually be placed at Tehachapi Cemetery, next to her grandchildren Jeremy and Jillian.

Throughout her life, Leona was a gregarious and enthusiastic woman. She was generous in sharing her personal attributes, giving and helping those she knew and loved. She would often fill the role of coach, bringing out the best in everyone. She was imaginative, original, tender hearted and easy to get along with. Leona leaves behind her a legacy of life-long friendships and cherished, loving memories. Everyone whose lives she touched will dearly remember Leona M Davis.