Laura Sue Davis

Laura Sue Davis died Sunday, October 14, 2012, in Houston, Texas. Sue, a highly respected teacher, was beloved by her family and many friends who knew her to be a good and faithful servant to her family, her community, and her God.

Sue was born to Joseph Austin and Laura Evin (Sharp) Higginbotham on the Higginbotham family farm in the Lone Pine community between Crockett and Lovelady, Texas, on December 27, 1932. The family moved to Beaumont and Texas City during the years of WWII and moved to Oak Forest in Houston in 1949. Sue was at home with her parents at the time of the Texas City Explosion in 1947. Sue was a graduate of Reagan High School and graduated from the University of Houston in 1953 with a Physical Education Degree, later attending U of H to quality to teach Driver’s Education. Sue was a badminton champion at U of H and active in student activities.

Sue and her college sweetheart, John Davis, married August 1, 1953, at St. Matthew’s Methodist Church, celebrating their 57th anniversary shortly before John’s death in 2010. After John’s military service in the 1950s, John and Sue moved to Oak Forest where they lived, raised their sons John and Mark, and remained active members of St. Matthew’s, for over five decades. Sue was devoted to serving her church and supporting church activities.

A 6th generation Texan, Sue was a member of San Jacinto Chapter, Daughters of the Republic of Texas. She was active in the retired teachers, her church garden club, and Lydia Circle.

Sue’s career was spent working with young people. Sue was a renowned teacher in HISD, teaching P.E. at Burbank Jr. High and driver’s education in HISD high schools and Houston Community College when the driver’s ed program was moved to HCC. Sue particularly enjoyed being the Senior Class Sponsor at Waltrip High School. In the summers, Sue worked as life guard and a manager at the Memorial Park swimming pool in the 1950s and, beginning in the late 1950s, she and John were the co-managers at Sharpstown Country Club pool. Sue was the first woman life guard for the City of Houston, becoming the assistant manager of the Memorial Park pool, quieting the critics who fought the idea of women serving as life guards. Sue taught many young people to swim and coached synchronized swimming teams. Sue was a role model for her many students, as well as her younger cousins, nieces and nephews. In recent years, Sue’s hobbies were family genealogy research and emailing her friends and family members.

During her forty years as a teacher and coach, Sue’s many students, team members, and fellow teachers benefited from Sue’s love of life and dedication to her students. The wife of a basketball coach, Sue spent many hours supporting John’s teams. Sue appreciated the continued contacts with her students and John’s players.

Sue is preceded in death by her husband John Houston Davis III, her parents Joe and Laura Higginbotham, her sister Beth Higginbotham Bitner, her brother Sam Higginbotham, her brother-in-law Robert H. Petty, her nephew Robert A. Petty, and niece Stephanie White Kain.

Sue is survived by sons John Steven Davis and wife, Teri Justice, of Houston and Mark Edward Davis of Los Angeles, CA, and her sister Betty Higginbotham Petty, Betty’s daughter Sharolyn, and grandchildren Chris, Ricky and Laura who considers Aunt Sue their other mother and grandmother. Sue is survived by her sister-in-law Harriett Wade Higginbotham of Houston, brother-in-law Orlan Bitner of Lovelady, and sister-in-law Diane Davis Howard and husband Eddie Howard of Galveston. Sue is survived by her many nieces and nephews Orlan, Janet, and Joe Bitner, of Austin, Judy Bitner Barron of Tomball, Sharolyn Petty Wood, Nancy Higginbotham James, and Sam Higginbotham, of Houston, Debbie Higginbotham Roberts, of Big Island, Hawaii, and Allen Higginbotham, of Hamburg, Germany, and their children, as well as her Davis nieces and nephews Craig Anderson Howard and Cynthia Griffith of Houston, Jennifer Day of Rockport, and Elizabeth Howard of Galveston, “adopted” nieces and nephews Jean Howard Sargent of Galveston, Mike Howard of Alvin, Richard Howard of Houston, and Mark Howard of Pasadena, and their children. Sue’s many cousins, nieces and nephews looked forward to her telephone calls and emails keeping everyone up on family matters and passing on her genealogy information. Her nieces and nephews treasured the time spent with Aunt Sue at the swimming pool in the summers and at family holiday gatherings playing “42”. The family may be contacted by email at [email protected].

Friends are cordially invited to a visitation with the family on Friday, the 19th of October, from five o’clock in the afternoon until eight o’clock in the evening, at Pat H. Foley Funeral Home, 1200 W. 34th Street, Houston 77018.

A family graveside service will be held on Saturday, the 20th of October at nine-thirty in the morning at Forest Park Lawndale, 6900 Lawndale Street, Houston, followed by a memorial service at eleven o’clock in the morning in the sanctuary of St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church, Rev. Frank Coats, presiding. The family will receive friends following the memorial service. Pallbearers will be her nephews and great-nephews.

Memorial contributions in honor of Sue Davis may be made to St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church, 4300 North Shepherd, Houston, TX 77018 or San Jacinto Chapter, DRT, 1510 Cambridge Street, Houston, TX.