Elaine Davies

Elaine Davies, 60, who could turn a conference hallway into a comedy club and a hotel lobby into a reunion, died in her sleep in the early morning hours of Sunday, November 23, 2025 in Downers Grove, Illinois.

Born on August 13, 1965, Elaine grew up in DeKalb, Illinois, a town that would shape her life. She graduated from DeKalb High School and went on to study at Northern Illinois University, where she earned a master's degree in communication. Never one to be satisfied with doing "just enough," she then headed to the University of Missouri, where she completed her Doctorate in Communication.

Elaine devoted her life to higher education and to the idea that communication-not just the subject, but the practice-could make people's lives better. She taught at Northern Illinois University, the University of Missouri, Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania, Chapman University, and Southwestern Oklahoma University, leaving behind a trail of former students who still hear her voice in their heads when they would sit in her classroom or visit her in her office.

At the time of her death, Elaine was serving as the Director of Academic Accommodations and Accessibility and the Title IX Coordinator at Benedictine University in Lisle, Illinois, where she worked tirelessly to ensure that "doing the right thing" was not just an aspiration, but a policy and a practice. She was the kind of person who, when told "no," treated it not as a wall but as a puzzle to be solved. If the rules weren't built to protect people, she would find a way to bend them toward justice.

Her professional home-away-from-home was the National Communication Association's annual convention, where she volunteered for more than twenty years. To some, it was a conference; to Elaine, it was a village-full of colleagues, former students, and friends who became family.

Elaine's sense of humor was famously acerbic-she could slice through nonsense with a single comment-but it was always delivered with a wink and a warmth that let you know you'd been roasted because she liked you. She was a foodie who loved to experience life plate by plate, city by city, always game to try something new. She was known to rewrite song lyrics on the fly, turning ordinary tunes into sharp, silly commentaries on whatever was happening in the moment. If you ever heard her sing Hotel Watson to the lyrics of Hotel California, you knew that you were in her inner circle.

She is survived by her son, Dustin Powers, who she loved fiercely and in her own unapologetic style and her ex-husband Paul Davies. She is preceded in death by her mother (Elizabeth) and father and her partner Christopher Hess.

A celebration of life will be held at 10 am on Saturday, January 10, 2026, at Finch Funeral Home, 310 Oak St., DeKalb, Illinois. A party of life will be held at Fatty's Bar and Grill, 1312 W. Lincoln Ave., DeKalb Illinois immediately afterwards. Friends, colleagues, former students, and anyone whose life she nudged, challenged, or made funnier are welcome to attend and share stories.