Kathryn Davis

1929 - 2026

Kathryn Anne Bonner Davis died on January 11, 2026 at the age of 96, just shy of her 97th birthday. Kathryn was born on February 16th, 1929 in Aurora, North Carolina to Ella Peel Bonner and Roy Tuthill Bonner. Kathryn enjoyed reminiscing about her childhood in Aurora, where she grew up looking after a range of barnyard animals and playing with three successive Collies named "Football." She loved spending summers at Camp Leach and her family's cottage across the river at Pamlico Beach. Kathryn graduated from Aurora High School in 1947, where she was editor of the school newspaper. She attended East Carolina Teachers College (ECTC, now East Carolina University) for one year before transferring to the Rex Hospital Nursing School in Raleigh, NC, where she received her RN degree in 1951.

While enrolled at ECTC, Kathryn met Thomas W. ("Bill") Davis, who was attending on the GI Bill. Kathryn and Bill were married on June 21, 1952, at the Episcopal Church in Aurora on a sweltering day that caused her paternal uncle, Dodd Bonner, to have a heart attack during the wedding ceremony. After their honeymoon, Kathryn and Bill moved to Durham, NC, where Bill worked as an agent for Allstate Insurance and Kathryn worked as a nurse at Durham Regional Hospital.

Kathryn gave birth to her daughter, Clarissa Anne ("Chris"), on May 14, 1954 and became a full-time mother. Kathryn thought that she might move back "Down East" after Chris was born, because she loved that area so much. Instead, the family moved to Charlotte, NC, the first of a dozen moves back and forth across the country as Bill climbed the corporate ladder at Allstate (which was part of the larger Sears conglomerate). After a brief stop in Kansas City, Kathryn's family moved to Denver, Colorado, where she gave birth to her son, Thomas William, Jr. (also known as "Bill"), on March 14, 1958.

Between 1960 and 1994, Kathryn and her family moved roughly every three years or so: from Denver to Farmers Branch, TX; Northbrook, IL; Sandy Springs, GA; Lincolnshire, IL; Santa Ana, CA; Bannockburn, IL; New Canaan, CT; Lake Forest, IL; and Laguna Niguel, CA. In each of these locations, Kathryn took on the tasks of orienting the family to their new environs while Bill was often away on business travel. Inevitably, this included serving on the Altar Guild at Episcopalian parishes in these communities. In 1970, with her son, Bill, in middle school and daughter, Chris, in high school, Kathryn returned to nursing. She worked as a Registered Nurse in the Emergency Rooms at Lake Forest Hospital (on two different occasions) and also at Children's Hospital of Orange County. Kathryn also worked as a volunteer for community blood drives in multiple locations.

At home, Kathryn was known for her Southern-style home cooking and hospitality. Her children frequently brought home unannounced friends for dinner, and those guests always went home well-fed. Kathryn's fried chicken was particularly prized by family and friends alike--but folks also loved her pork chops, cornbread (both patties and hush-puppies), pimento cheese, green beans, okra, and salads. Kathryn had the sweetest of sweet tooths, so homemade cakes, cookies, pies, and fudge were almost always available in her kitchen.

In 1994, Kathryn's husband, Bill, retired and they moved back to her beloved North Carolina, settling in Chapel Hill for their retirement. In addition to serving on the Altar Guild at the Holy Family Episcopal Church, Kathryn completed her Education for Ministry (EFM) through Sewanee College. In this capacity, Kathryn supported the clergy at Holy Family by administering sacraments to parishioners and patients at the Veteran's Hospital in Durham, NC.

Kathryn was deeply spiritual, with a profound faith anchored in the Episcopalian Church. She read from the Bible nearly every day of her adult life; and devotional readings and quiet contemplation were essential parts of her morning ritual. Kathryn also enjoyed reading contemporary theologians such as Thomas Merton, Rowan Williams, Barbara Brown Taylor, and others.

Kathryn and Bill enjoyed their retirement in Chapel Hill until Bill's death in 2012. In 2015, Kathryn moved from Chapel Hill to Cedarfield in Henrico County, VA, to be closer to Chris and Chris's family. At Cedarfield, Kathryn was particularly close with her "Golden Girls" crew--Salome Coleman, Neta Atkins, and Peggy Marquis--but she was especially happy to have close relationships with her grandchildren and great grandchildren who lived nearby.

Kathryn is predeceased by her brothers, Loma Bonner and Roy Bonner, and her husband, Bill. She is survived by her daughter, Chris Riely (Henry) of White Stone, VA; son, Bill Davis (Elaine) of Rancho Santa Fe, CA; granddaughter Julia Rowe Ratliff (Graham) of Henrico, VA; grandson Evan Rowe (Nikki Leonard) of San Diego, CA; granddaughter Anna Rowe Mock (Christian) of Goochland, VA; granddaughter Samantha Davis of Brooklyn, NY; granddaughter Stephanie Davis of Amsterdam, Netherlands; great granddaughter Aurora Ratliff of Henrico, VA; great grandson Odin Ratliff of Henrico, VA; and great grandson Evan Mock of Goochland, VA.

Kathryn's family is grateful for the supportive care she received over the years from the physicians and staff at Cedarfield, and the hospice care provided by Bon Secours.

A memorial service will be held for Kathryn later this year at the Holy Family Episcopal Church in Chapel Hill, NC, where her ashes will be interred next to her husband's in the church's columbarium.