Jillian Spence Davis

Entrepreneur, civil libertarian, and renaissance woman Jillian Davis left this world July 4, 2025.
Born December 7, 1961, Jill grew up in Hudson, Ohio and graduated from Western Reserve Academy. She attended Barnard College, New York University, and the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music before earning a Bachelor of Music from the Cleveland Institute of Music in 1990. In Cleveland, she worked as a booking agent, activities director, as well as a musical arts assistant at the Cleveland Museum of Art, before enrolling at Cleveland Marshall College of Law and earning her juris doctor in 1996.
Her legal career reflected her commitment to social justice and civil rights. She held attorney positions with Berkman, Gordon, Murray & DeVan, Friedman & Gilbert, the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, and Towards Employment. She joined the Federal Public Defender's Office as a Research and Writing Specialist in the Capital Habeas Unit in 2008, a position she held at the time of her passing.
Even while building her legal career, Jill pursued outlets for her creativity. She founded FilmWorks in 1999, a nonprofit whose mission was to curate screenings of independent and revival films. In 2013, she opened Toast, a wine bar and restaurant that quickly became a neighborhood hub for friends and neighbors to gather. It was a place to stop for a drink before or after a show in the Gordon Square Arts District, dine with a date, or perch at the bar to read and sip. It felt like home and was home for many. And in 2022, she opened Pearl St. Wine Market and Café with her dear friend Karen Small. Being a restauranteur gave Jill avenues to pursue her love of wines and creative cuisine. She traveled often to taste natural wines; sample unique and unusual dishes; and experience how other restauranteurs operated their businesses.
Jill's involvement with two restaurants was an extension of her commitment to the Cleveland community. She served in volunteer leadership positions with Cleveland Public Theatre, Free Clinic of Cleveland, the Cleveland Bar Association, and was an active participant in the Cleveland Clinic's VeloSano Bike to Cure to end cancer, riding with her beloved teammates on team "VeloVino."
Jill's love of arts and culture led many in her large friend circle to see, read, hear, visit, and eat and drink what many might never have known without her. Books, concerts, films, theatre, food, wines, travel: she broadened horizons and gave her friends the courage and comfort to gain experiences beyond their own little worlds.
Perhaps the greatest gift of Jillian's life was her ability to create "family" by bringing people together to share food and drink. Through the many gatherings she hosted and spaces she created she launched friendships for life. These friends will go forth with love and the fondest of memories of their time with Jill and her prodigious impact.
Jill is preceded in death by her husband Jeffry F. Kelleher, her brothers Gary and Greg, and her parents George and Daisy Davis. She is survived by her stepchildren Jeffry, Katherine, Michael, Nathaniel, and Nicholas (Adele), as well as her nieces and nephews. Memorials may be made in Jill's name to the Jeffry Kelleher Fund for Criminal Defense & Social Justice, an endowed scholarship fund at Cleveland State University Cleveland-Marshall College of Law (CSU Foundation, P.O. Box 931848, Cleveland, OH 44101).
A celebration of life will be held on Sunday, August 10, 2025, from 1-5 pm with brief remarks at 2:30 pm at Jukebox, 1404 W. 29th St., Cleveland 44113.
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