Georgia Sturm Davis

A loving and loved wife and mother, accomplished businesswoman, active non-profit advocate and loyal friend, Georgia was a force of nature and a shining light. She left an indelible and meaningful mark on the places she lived and the people she met.

As a senior leader with the Dallas Market Center, Georgia nurtured hundreds of meaningful professional relationships with leading Gift and Home Décor exhibitors nationwide. Her expertise helped bring the floral industry to the Dallas Market Center and her special projects extended to market centers in Los Angeles and Las Vegas. She was also a consultant to the Market in Shanghai, China.

Georgia was a tireless contributor to the Dallas community. For more than a decade, she worked on the American Heart Association Côtes du Coeur event helping secure extraordinary auction items for the annual Dallas Gala. One Super Bowl private plane round-trip donation was so successful it sold twice — on the spot. Georgia and Tom also hosted many wine tastings at their home as pre-events leading up to the major gala each year. Georgia was active with the Salvation Army for 15 years and served on The Dallas Board of Salvation Army Women’s Auxiliary. She was also active in the Junior League and worked to support The Episcopal School of Dallas.

Throughout her life, Georgia was dedicated to physical fitness. As an avid runner, she was proud of winning a Dallas Half-Marathon Relay for 70+. She loved exercising this passion in natural settings, enjoying hiking Santa Fe trails in golden fall aspens, following crop cycles back home in Southern Illinois, jogging in foreign lands and walking her Cavalier King Charles Spaniels through Dallas neighborhoods.

Georgia was known to be a loyal and generous friend. Energetic, stylish, fun and a superb conversationalist, she was simply a joy to be with. Her friendships lasted years, decades and lifetimes. Her friends were from all stages of her life — Xerox, Dallas Market Center, The Cooper Center, St. Louis, three Dallas neighborhoods, two Spanish classes, two book clubs, Preston Hollow Women’s Club, Highland Park United Methodist Church, fellow parents from Episcopal School of Dallas and groups of couples and friends who traveled together for years. With family and friends, she crossed the globe always curious and learning as she traveled in Europe, South America, Mexico, Asia, Australia and New Zealand — enjoying new experiences and, of course, some extraordinary wine along the way.

But of all her roles, she found the greatest joy in her family as a wife to Tom, mother to Carey and mother-in-law to Jon. Her joy was doubled with the birth of her granddaughter Charlotte.

Georgia attributed much of her personal and professional success to her Midwestern roots. Daughter of Lenard and Georganna Sturm, she was raised in Grayville, Illinois — a town of 2,000. Parents and grandparents on both sides came from farming families, and as part of this legacy, Georgia received recognition in 2025 from the state of Illinois recognizing continuous family farm ownership for 100 years and another farm for 150 years. Her soulmate Tom was born in a nearby town, and it was love at first sight when they met in college. Georgia was a proud supporter of the University of Evansville in Indiana, where she belonged to Phi Mu Sorority, graduated and later served on the Alumni Board and Board of Trustees.

Bravely fighting Glioblastoma, Georgia never lost her keen sense of humor, incredible optimism and lovely spirit. Supporting Georgia at every stage of her journey was her strong and ever-present team of family and friends. Georgia was always deeply grateful for her family and friends as well as her dedicated medical professionals and faithful caregivers.

Georgia is survived by her husband, Tom Davis; daughter, Carey Davis; son-in-law, Jon Hartmann; granddaughter, Charlotte Davis Hartmann; cousin, Elizabeth Jane Green; and sister-in-law, Suzan Cooper.

A memorial service will be held at Highland Park United Methodist Church in the Main Sanctuary, 3300 Mockingbird Lane, Dallas, Texas on Monday, October 19 at 1:00 PM.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to the Georgia Davis Fund for Research in Glioblastoma at UTSW. https://give.utsouthwestern.edu/in-honor-of-georgia-davis