Mary K Davis

Mary K. Davis, age 85, died on Thursday, April 25, 2019 in Genesis Health & Rehabilitation Center, Salisbury, Maryland. Mary is survived by her husband of 58 years, John (Jack) B.N. Davis, her brother Frank L. Kelly and her sons F. Kelly Davis (Sheila), Noah Davis (Kathryn) and Thomas Davis (Susan). Mary Agnes was born on January 4, 1934 in Kingston, Pennsylvania to Genevieve Heaney Kelly and Frank Leo Kelly. The family resided in Forty Fort, Pennsylvania; the family included Mary’s brother, Frank Leo Kelly II who is currently 87 years old and resides in Dallas, Pennsylvania. Mary attended O.B. Pettebone Grade School in Forty Fort thru 6th grade and then attended St. Ann’s Academy School for girls from 7th grade until graduation in 1951 studying business, typing and clerical work. Mary was raised Roman Catholic and remained a devout Catholic. Following graduation, Mary worked as a secretary until enlisting in the U.S. Navy on December 17, 1952. Mary trained as a Disbursing Clerk Seaman Apprentice. During the late summer of 1953, Mary’s mother became ill and Mary received a Hardship Honorable Discharge in September 1953 to come home to Forty Fort, Pennsylvania to care for her mother. Soon afterwards, Mary began working for Valley Vending, Wilkes-Barre as the owner’s secretary. Mary remained at Valley Vending from 1954 thru 1961 when she married. Mary married John (Jack) B. N. Davis on April 8, 1961. The couple met on a blind date. The couple resided in Parsons, Pennsylvania where her husband Jack was a housepainter & paperhanger with his father, Noah Davis; Mary was a homemaker, a bookkeeper for her husband’s business and bookkeeper for many family members and friends. During the summer months, the couple resided at their summer cottage at Harvey’s Lake, Pennsylvania. Mary has three sons; F. Kelly in 1962, Noah in 1963 and Thomas in 1965. Mary loved Harvey’s Lake where she doted on her three sons during the summer months enjoying the water and her friendships from neighbor families. Eventually, in 1976, Mary and her family moved to Harvey’s Lake for year-round living. While raising three children, Mary became involved in volunteer work, specifically for the Women’s Clubs. In January of 1969, Mary became the founder and first President of the Parsons Women’s Club. In the following years she held the office of publicity chairman, parliamentarian and finance and community improvement chairman for the Women’s Club of Parsons. She served the Luzerne County Federation as recording secretary and treasurer until 1976 when Mary became the President of the Luzerne County Federation of Women’s Clubs. In the mid-1980s, Mary held the office of Pennsylvania State Representative for the Greater Federation of Women’s Clubs. Through the late 1980’s and into the 1990’s, Mary continued her volunteer work while also working part-time as a secretary for a local real estate business. Throughout her adult years, Mary enjoyed walking daily and Mary enjoyed the friendship of her life-long friends known as “The Card Club Ladies”. In 1983, Mary and Jack became avid Penn State University Football fans while also watching their son Tom who was in the Penn State Blue Band. Mary and Jack attended Penn State home football games from 1984 thru 1998. Mary’s family began expanding in 1989 as her son Noah married Kathryn Hogue from Corning, NY. They had three children, Noah, Sean and Kelsie. Her son Thomas married Susan Williams from Princess Anne in 1991. The have two daughters, Bethany and Emily. Bethany married Collin Denton from Salisbury, NC in 2017. Kelly married Sheila Malahowski in 2007; Sheila has a son Joey who also became a member of the family. Mary and Jack retired to Lakeland, Florida living at Heatherwood Village in September 1999. While in Florida, Mary continued her volunteer work while also enjoying her daily walking of several miles and the friendship of new neighbors in their retirement village. Then in December 2009, Mary and Jack moved to Salisbury, Maryland to continue retirement at the Cottages at River House while also living close to their third son, Thomas (Tom) and his family. The move from Florida also meant more frequent visits and holidays with her sons Kelly and Noah and their families as well as an occasional visit for a Penn State football game in State College, Pennsylvania. Mary was very patriotic, loved the American flag, loved to decorate her home for the holidays and the seasons and loved fashionable classic clothing; Mary loved the nautical look! Her favorite colors in clothes were navy blue and white; her favorite flowers were violets and white lily of the valley. Mary suffered with Alzheimer’s disease for ten years; however, her faithful husband took superb care of Mary. Likewise, the staff at Genesis Healthcare’s Memory Care unit and Coastal Hospice & Palliative Care treated and cared for “Miss Mary” like their own family. A ‘Celebration of Life” will be held on Saturday, June 1, 2019 at 1:00PM at St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 535 Riverside Drive, Salisbury, Maryland. Dearest Mom, The long goodbye was painful for dad and us. However, if anyone has to suffer with Alzheimer’s disease, you handled it well with class and determination to remain yourself; kind with a great smile. We have missed you and will continue to miss you. Love you forever, Kelly, Noah & Thomas