DAVIS, Audrey J.
born August 15, 1928, died peacefully in her beloved Tucson on Saturday October 5, 2019 with her daughter at her bedside. She is survived by daughter, Jackie Davis (Lee Carter); son, Chuck Davis (Judith R); grandchildren, Catana Boyer, (Sean Davis-deceased (Summer); eight great-grandchildren, sisters, Patty Spaulding, Edie Friedrich, Rogene Covell (Tom); brother, Frank Myers (Beverly) and a host of nieces and nephews. Audrey moved with her family from Corning Kansas in 1947 to Tucson where she and several of her sisters worked at the Fox theater downtown. in 1949 while working at the Davis-Monthan AFB Base Exchange, she met and later married Lt. Charles Ray Davis. Though she saw herself as shy, the life of a nomadic Air Force officer forced her out of her shell. Volunteering at various base hospitals and acting as head of the Officers Wives Club at Castle AFB in California gave her the confidence to brave the months and at least one year of raising her children alone as Ray was often sent on temporary duty that did not include family. She often said that as soon as he'd leave home, appliances and cars would break down which meant she'd have to deal with it all on her own. She was an extraordinary seamstress and cook with a wry sense of humor. In 1972 with the retirement of her husband, she was able to return to her much loved Tucson, where she spent ten years working as a registrar at the Tucson Convention and Visitors Bureau. She absolutely thrived in the position which introduced her to people from around the world looking for prospective sites to hold conventions. There was no one better to convince them to choose Tucson, as her inexhaustible energy, love and knowledge of Tucson history would win them over in a heartbeat. She also loved working for over 24 years at the Tucson Gem and Mineral show. The vendors who participated in the event grew to love Audrey, to the degree that they looked forward to seeing her every year and would gift her with small pieces of jewelry. What she didn't keep she would give to family and friends. She worked at the show until she was 86 years old. After Ray's death in 2002, she became more involved in her local parish, St. Pius X, setting up for daily mass and later making (with the help of volunteers she sometimes 'strong-armed' into helping) from 1400-1700 jars of jam each year for the November boutique sale which raised money for the parish. She loved her parish priest, Father Harry and would drop everything to help when needed. She was always ready to lend a helping hand and could be generous to a fault. She lived a long and full life for which we, her family and friends are truly grateful. Audrey, you will be sorely missed. A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, October 9, 2019 at St Pius X Church, 1800 N. Camino Pio Decimo.
Published in the Arizona Daily Star from Oct. 8 to Oct. 9, 2019
