Gretchen Eugenia Davis, 84, of Ann Arbor and West Bloomfield, died on Friday, July 9, 2021, at Provision Living of West Bloomfield, after a long battle with Alzheimer's Disease. She was born April 26, 1937, in Toledo, Ohio to George and Eugenia (Ermish) Marsh. She grew up in Detroit and was raised with loving care by her step-mother, Leah (Landis) Marsh after her mother's death.
After attending Denby High School in Detroit, Gretchen studied at Albion College and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1959. She then began her career as a teacher in the Walled Lake, Livonia and Ann Arbor Public Schools. She also earned her Master of Arts in Education from the University of Michigan in 1963, before retiring to raise her family in 1975. She loved teaching and it always gave her great pleasure to meet one of her former students, when grown.
A resident of Ann Arbor for sixty years, Gretchen volunteered for many local organizations, including Meals on Wheels and Neighborhood Watch. She was a member of First United Methodist Church of Ann Arbor for over fifty years, and volunteered at the church. She was also a proud member of Alpha Chi Omega and served a term as President of the Alumnae Chapter in Ann Arbor.
Gretchen was an anglophile, a lover of Jane Austen, architecture, interior design, and antiques. She was a loving wife to her husband of fifty-eight years, Dale A. Davis, who was her devoted caregiver during her illness, as well as a wonderful mother to daughter Jessica McRowe (Kenneth) and grandmother to granddaughters Lydia and Eleanor McRowe (her pride and joy) of Beverly Hills, Michigan, who all survive.
A celebration of Gretchen's life will be held at Muehlig Funeral Chapel, 403 S. 4th Avenue, Ann Arbor, Michigan on Saturday, July 24, 2021, at 11:30 am with visitation from 10:00 am until the time of service. Internment will occur at Toledo Memorial Park. Memorial contributions may be made to either Alzheimer's' Association, Michigan Great Lakes Chapter, 564 S. Main, Suite 200, Ann Arbor, Michigan, 48104 or Albion College, Institutional Advancement Office, 611 E. Porter St., Albion, Michigan 49224.
