Mrs.Gwendolyn Meek Davis

GWENDOLYN MEEK D AVIS was born to Clara Ethel Gray Meek and Omri Rossar Meek, Sr.on March 29, 1944, in Marshall, Texas. She was delivered at home by a midwife, in a house built entirely by her father and paternal grandfather. Gwen was the ninth of eleven children, including eight sisters: Zelma,Eureka, Doris, Bobbie Jean, Delores, Raythalia, Yedobaty and Clara; and two brothers, Edward Johnson andOmri, Jr. Gwen's father operated a logging business and a 172-acre farm. Her mother was primarily a homemaker whoworked on the farm with her husband as they raised staples such as cotton, corn, peanuts, a variety of fruits and vegetables, as well as some cattle, pigs and poultry. While a young child living in Marshall, Gwen joined Union Baptist Church and was baptized in a creek by Rev. E. B. Humble, a country preacher who pastored two other churches. She sang in Union's choir and remained a member of the Church until she left home to attend college in Houston. She joined her current church, Loyal Missionary Baptist Church in 2005, where she was a member of the Sanctuary Choir and active in the church's hospitality ministry. Gwen was also a founder, officer and board member of People on the Move for Christ Ministries, a nonprofit established in 2012 to distribute food to needy people. Gwen attended Mound Elementary School, a racially segregated, one-room school house near her family home. She later attended and graduated from H. B. Pemberton High School. In 1963 she moved to Houston, enrolled at Texas Southern University (TSU), and worked her way through school as a part-time waitress at Princess Drive-In and on other odd jobs. She met John Byron Davis while both were TSU students and married him on December 4, 1966, in a small private ceremony. Their only child, John Byron Davis Jr. ("Jay") was born on February 12, 1968. Following a divorce in 1976, Gwen established a home for her son and herself in Clear Lake where they lived for over 18 years. Gwen later moved in with her youngest sister Clara in Third Ward. The two were roommates for 23 years. In 2004, Gwen was diagnosed with an aggressive form of breast cancer that had metastasized to several lymph nodes. Following the removal of the cancerous tumors, she underwent weeks of chemotherapy and subsequent radiation, and as a consequence, developed chemo-induced diabetes and neuropathy. However, she was blessed to remain cancer-free for the rest of her life. For most of her working career, Gwen was a deli manager for Safeway Stores and Randall's. She enjoyed gourmet cooking, crossword puzzles, traveling and sports. She was a devoted Houston Rockets and Houston Texans fan, and loved to watch tennis and golf games. Gwen is survived by her son, John Davis, Jr. and his wife, Nichelle; four grandchildrenRochelle, Kayla, Myles and Haylea; two great grandchildren-Jayden and Zaylen; three sisters-Yedobaty Brock, Clara Loraine Meek and Doris Rowl; one sister-in-law-Lois Butler Meek; and, a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.