Nancy Davis

Nancy Davis, age 79, passed away peacefully at her home, surrounded by her loving family, on December 6, 2024. Nancy was born on March 13, 1945, in South Bend, Indiana, to Nina and James F. Davis. She grew up primarily in Mobile, Alabama where she met her high school sweetheart and husband of 59 years, Joseph R. (Joe) Davis.

Nancy received her undergraduate degree at the University of Alabama and went on to complete her master’s and Ph.D. at the University of Maryland.

Nancy and Joe spent much of their careers and raised their three sons in Northern Virginia, where Joe worked as an FBI Special Agent and manager. During that time, Nancy was very busy raising three highly active sons, attending lots of wrestling and baseball games, accommodating her sons’ and Joe’s passion for fishing and juggling a busy personal life with her professional responsibilities. Nancy and Joe were known for large parties at their home, particularly Halloween and New Years Eve, as well as for Nancy’s special dishes such as seafood gumbo and flank steak. Nancy became best friends with dozens of our neighbors, Joe’s FBI associates and their spouses, many of whom remain close friends today. Also, Nancy and Joe are remembered for their family and friends camping trips to West Virginia and nearby rivers.

Dr. Davis (Nancy) pursued her profession as a clinical psychologist in a variety of settings. Early on in her career she taught college courses and was a school psychologist. In 1985, she established a private practice which she continued actively until she and Joe moved to Florida in 2010. Her partners and associates in that practice remain some of her closest friends.

While in private practice, Dr. Davis first worked as an outside consultant for the FBI’s Employee Assistance Unit. Later she served for three years as the FBI’s Chief of Counseling Services. In this role and in private practice, she treated hundreds of federal, state, and local law enforcement officers, emergency service workers and their family members - primarily for PTSD, grief, and job-related trauma. The friendships she built in the FBI and law enforcement community remain strong today.

Nancy's real passion and special talent was creating therapeutic stories primarily for children who have suffered traumatic events, such as abuse, neglect or traumatic loss of loved ones. She is the author of Stories to Heal Abused Children (1988), Therapeutic Stories that Teach and Heal (1996) and Therapeutic Stories to Heal and Empower (2019). She also created numerous audio tapes and CDs to assist in healing. Nancy’s therapeutic stories have been translated into Norwegian, Dutch, Romanian, Hungarian and Turkish and even transformed into a theatrical production currently performing in Greece. Her most recent two books are still being sold on Amazon and in select bookstores.

After Nancy and Joe retired to Florida in 2010, Nancy enjoyed maintaining a diverse garden, potted plants and growing orchids on the tropical trees and shrubs in their backyard. She was always looking for opportunities to visit and assist with her seven grandkids. She absolutely loved reading to and with her grandkids and cooking with and for them. She enjoyed cooking for family and friends and sharing her special recipes. She had a special place in her heart for her most recent Golden Retriever, Thor, the gentle giant, walking with him, snuggling, and feeding the catfish off the dock at their home on Terra Ceia Bay. She always maintained her passion for helping friends, neighbors, and almost complete strangers deal with difficult personal situations.

Nancy is survived by her husband of 59 years, Joe Davis; sons Eric Davis (Darla); Cliff Davis (Maggie) and Luke Davis (Caroline) and her sister and brother-in-law, Joel and Maryanne Blackford; and her brother Jim Davis (Amy). Nancy and Joe have seven grandchildren: Alissa, Jake, Jack, Will, Colton, Camden, and Mason, all of whom she dearly loved.

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to one of the following: "Tampa General Hospital Foundation - Team Member Assistance Program at Givetotgh.org/supporttghteammembers - If you prefer to donate by check, mail a check made out to the TGH Foundation, and reference the McNichols Fund in the memo line, to: TGH Foundation, PO Box 1289, Tampa, FL 33601" or The Salvation Army.

A celebration of life service for Nancy will be held Saturday, February 22, 2025 at 2:00 PM at Robert Toale & Sons Celebration of Life Center, 4310 Solutions Lane, Bradenton, FL 34211, followed by a reception from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM