Davis Josephine

Josephine Leopold Davis Josephine Leopold Davis died peacefully on Tuesday, October 7, 2014, at Westminster Canterbury in Richmond, Virginia. The daughter of Henrietta Schumann and Joseph Leopold, she was born in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, and raised in Milton, Pennsylvania. She enjoyed a wonderful marriage to Gustavus Morris Schwarzschild Jr. for over 40 years, until his death in 1980. In 1985, she married Ralph Oliver Davis and enjoyed another almost 20 years with him until his death in 2004. Jo lived in Staunton from the 1940's until she moved to Richmond in 2005. Jo is survived by one daughter, Jane L. Shackelford and her husband, V. R. III; one grandson, V. Randolph Shackelford IV and his wife, Katrina; and one great-grandson, V. R. Shackelford V. She also had three step-children, one of whom predeceased her, three step-granddaughters and four step-great-granddaughters. Jo graduated as co-valedictorian of her class from Milton High School, and she attended Goucher College. Jo had a contagious enthusiasm for life and was a multi-talented person with a wide range of interests and friends. With her impeccable taste and sense of style, she did most of the New York buying for Schwarzschild's, Inc., a women's specialty store in Staunton, that she owned and ran with Gus for over 30 years. She was something of a fashion icon in Staunton, totally comfortable in a sophisticated outfit from an avant-garde designer in New York one minute and her lucky golf attire in another. An accomplished golfer, she won numerous tournaments over five decades, playing mostly at Augusta Country Club, Country Club of Staunton and Spanish Wells Club in Hilton Head. Her skill and love of the game earned her a position on the executive board of the VSGA, Women's Division, and also led to a spot on the People-to-People Golf Team, a quasi-ambassadorial program for the United States started by President Eisenhower, where she played foreign teams on renown courses in Spain, France, Ireland and Scotland. As a young lady, Jo was a dancer and a pianist, and she graduated from the Bucknell University School of Music; she continued to play the piano for friends and enlivened many a Staunton party with her renditions. Having graduated from the National School of Fine Arts in D.C. and studied under Horace Day in Staunton, and Lois Dickensheets, Pat Lusk and others in Hilton Head, she was an excellent painter and had a deep interest in art. She was a member of Staunton Fine Arts and the Hilton Head Art League, a group with which Ralph and she took several interesting trips. In her retirement, she took great delight in bridge and her many bridge groups in Staunton, Hilton Head and Richmond, enjoying trips to tournaments along the East Coast with some of these friends. Her interest in plants was evidenced by her having Charles Gillette design her Staunton garden, by the vases of her roses that she took to almost everyone she visited, and by her membership in the Rose Society. Jo was a creative and gracious hostess and a terrific cook, enjoying, but rarely needing, any of the bookshelves of cookbooks she collected. And throughout all of this, she was a loyal and dear friend to many, a devoted wife to two husbands who adored her, and an exceptionally dedicated and loving mother and grandmother to a daughter and grandson who cherish her memory. The family appreciates the excellent help provided by her caregivers, including Brittney Hawkins, Joan Nave, Ayana Thompson and the team from Bon Secours Hospice. Burial was private. A memorial service will be held at a date to be determined. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that contributions be sent to the public library or hospice of your choice, the Westminster Canterbury Employees Christmas Fund, or another charity of your choice.