Dorothy J. Davis

Dorothy Jane Davis, 87 years of age, passed away peacefully at home on October 22, 2005. She lived in the Redondo Beach area for over 45 years. Dorothy was born in Martinsburg, West Virginia on October 7, 1918 and she was raised by her grandparents after losing her mother in the 1918 Pandemic.

At a very young age, Dorothy became known for her beautiful operatic singing voice and would perform for admiring audiences throughout West Virginia and Washington, D.C. Various music critics recognized her remarkable talent and predicted a bright future in the performing arts but, like many young ladies of her time, she chose family over career and the rest was history.

Dorothy was a very bright and wonderful lady who easily demonstrated a great love and zest for life, family, friends and her beloved Los Angeles Lakers Basketball Team. An avid sports enthusiast, Dorothy rarely missed a game and she possessed considerable detailed knowledge about the finer intricacies of the sport to the point where a relatively simple question of "well, how are the Lakers doing" usually resulted in a lengthy download of statistics, game details, and player and team information which was, to say the least, both informative and often overwhelming. Through the years, Dorothy attended many of the various Lakers charity events and developed a, much treasured, close personal relationship with many of the players, most of who lovingly called her "Mom".

Dorothy worked in the medical field for over 40 years, first at the South Bay District Hospital, in Redondo Beach and then at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance finally ending her career as a Cardiology Transcriber. After retirement, she continued to work for a number of Doctors in the South Bay until the age of 80.

She is survived by her daughters Veronica Gentry (Phillip) of Carroll, Ohio, Susan McGraw of Fairbanks, Alaska, Frances Bass (Roger) of Redondo Beach, California, her brother Bill Hoffman (Reva) of Martinsburg, West Virginia and Sister-in-law, Jane Christmas (Walter) of Savannah, Georgia. Her son, David Davis preceded her in death. She is also survived by 8 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. She was a wonderful mother, grandmother, sister and the very best mother-in-law ever. Very much a part of our lives, all of us will miss her very much.

A memorial service in celebration of her life will be held on Saturday, October 29, 2005 at 2:00 pm at the Rice Mortuary Chapel, 5310 Torrance Blvd., Torrance, California. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions in her name be made to either a charity of your choice or the Dorothy Jane Hoffman Davis Memorial Scholarship Fund, care of Martinsburg High School, Guidance Center, 701 South Queen Street, Martinsburg, West Virginia 25401. Internment will be private.