Sara Davis

Sara Davis, 79, whose greatest joy in life was being a grandmother, passed away suddenly and unexpectedly on May 10, 2024, after an ischemic stroke. “Suddenly and unexpectedly” is precisely how she wanted to leave this world. She made a point of telling everyone she knew (and some she didn’t) that she didn’t ever want to lose her independence or suffer a lingering illness or endure extended pain. Shortly after her death, one of her close friends said, “she spoke about being ready to go to Heaven, and I know she is up there having a great time – probably letting God know how He could be doing things better.”

Sara was born in Iowa, the third of six children, and grew up in Arizona, where her surviving siblings Alys (Robert), Cindy, and Richard (Victoria) still reside. She attended the University of Arizona where she met her husband, John Davis, and they married on June 5, 1965, a date with symmetry they particularly enjoyed: 6-5-65.

Although Sara’s undergraduate degree was in Psychology, she and Johnny met while singing in a chamber music choir at the U of A. She finished her degree in 3 years, so she could graduate at the same time Johnny finished his doctorate in Music Composition, and they moved across the country in 1968, when he accepted a job as a music professor at Wesleyan College in Rocky Mount, NC. While living there, Sara gave birth to Gretchen, their only child, on June 10, 1969 (she and Johnny admitted being somewhat disappointed that Gretchen stubbornly refused to be born a couple hours sooner, since her birthday would then have been 6-9-69, to parallel the symmetry of their wedding date).

Commuting from Rocky Mount in the early 1970s, Sara continued her education at UNC-Chapel Hill, completing Master’s degrees in Social Work and Public Health. She had almost completed a doctorate in Epidemiology when Johnny accepted a new job offer, so they moved back to Tucson, AZ in 1975. Sara enjoyed these years, living closer to her sisters and baby brother, working as the Hospital Administrator for El Dorado Medical Center, and giving Gretchen the opportunity to spend time with lots of aunts and uncles and cousins.

After Sara and Johnny divorced in 1981, she and Gretchen returned to North Carolina. Back on the east coast, Sara’s career was primarily in social work, with a focus on at-risk children. In NC, she worked in Child Protective Services at the Wilson County DSS, then after moving to SC, she worked for the University of SC’s Center for Child and Family Studies. She also served on the Midlands SC Citizen Review Panel, evaluating and making recommendations for improvements on the policies and procedures of State and local child protection agencies.

Sara was proud when Gretchen attended her alma mater, UNC-Chapel Hill, on a full scholarship and received a B.A. in English. She was even more proud when Gretchen enrolled at the University of SC School of Law. During law school, Gretchen married Chuck Holland, and Sara had lots of fun planning their traditional Episcopalian wedding.

Two years after law school graduation, Gretchen presented Sara with her first grandchild, Abigail Frances, and Sara immediately moved to SC to be near them. Five years after that came a second grandchild, Grace Elizabeth. Being a loving grandma was the greatest joy of Sara’s life, and the years she spent watching the girls grow up were her happiest. When Gretchen moved to Greenville for a new job, it wasn’t long before Sara moved too. And when Gretchen remarried Scott Beckwith, who was raising two children of his own, Sara was thrilled to gain two more grandchildren: Severin Christopher and Sydney Claire. She gained immense satisfaction and pleasure from being a part of all their busy lives.

Sara spent the better part of a decade in the driver’s seat of her car, taking her grandchildren to and from piano lessons, cross country practices and meets, dance classes and recitals, speech and debate practices and tournaments, and still made it home in time to cook dinner for the family (because when traffic laws are more like traffic suggestions, it’s easy to fit everything into a busy schedule…and she accumulated the traffic tickets to prove it). She surrounded herself with books, and was well-read, well-spoken, and well-informed about everything going on in the world – much to her dismay, most of the time. When Sara wasn’t chauffeuring the grandkids around to their extracurricular activities, she was busy educating them about the important things in life: musicals, card games, and a profound love of words.

After retirement, and once all four grandkids were grown enough to no longer need so much of her time, Sara adopted a rescue dog named Cricket, who promptly eclipsed the grandchildren as the Center of The Universe. She was Sara’s constant companion, and Sara doted on her and spoiled her just as much as her grandkids. (Cricket is now Gretchen’s constant companion, and is still being doted on and spoiled in the manner to which she is accustomed.)

During the last 20 years of her life, Sara endured numerous medical problems, including colon cancer, skin cancer, AFib, and fibromyalgia. She said, “I don’t understand what God is waiting for. My work here is done!” In the brief time Sara spent in the Neuro ICU after her stroke, numerous health care professionals studied her advance directive with a certain amount of astonishment. One of them told Sara’s family, “in my entire career, I have never seen a health care directive as explicit and articulate as this one.” Gretchen and her daughters had to laugh at this, despite the circumstances, because “explicit” and “articulate” were always two of the best words to describe Sara.

We will miss her, but we know she is happy to be once again playing cards with her big sister Clyda and her best friend Mary Mallory. A service of resurrection celebrating Sara’s life will be held on June 29, 2024, at 2:00 p.m., at the Church of the Good Shepherd, 200 Cannon Street, Greer, SC, followed by a reception in the Church Parish Hall.

Sara filled her home with vivid primary colors (like bright red appliances and bright yellow towels), and guests attending the service are encouraged to dress in the cheerful primary colors Sara so enjoyed.

The family requests that memorial tributes and remembrances be made in the form of charitable donations to The Julie Valentine Center, which provides free confidential services and resources for victims of sexual assault, incest, child abuse and neglect in Greenville County, SC, through the Center’s nationally accredited Children’s Advocacy Center.