Betty Lee Davis

1946 - 2025

Betty Lee Davis

August 8, 1946 - February 19, 2025

Betty Lee Davis, age 78, departed this realm on February 19, 2025. A lifelong advocate for justice and healing, Betty was living and working in the Philadelphia area at the time of her passing.

After receiving her doctorate in social work from Bryn Mawr College, Betty dedicated her life to social justice, trauma-informed care, and violence prevention. Her career was marked by deep commitment and bold compassion. She became involved with Mothers in Charge, a grassroots organization led by her dear friend Dorothy Johnson-Speight. Through this work, she became a powerful voice in addressing the intersection of trauma, violence, and healing.

Her testimony before the ACE Task Force Policy Committee was instrumental in shaping Senate Bill 144, a trauma-informed education proposition that passed in the Pennsylvania State Legislature in 2019. Betty also worked closely with community leader Joan Duvall-Flynn and became actively engaged with the local chapter of the NAACP, where her efforts frequently extended to national platforms.

For several years, supported by the Peacemaking Committee of Bryn Mawr Presbyterian Church, she designed and led retreats for mothers who had lost children to community violence. These sacred gatherings were uplifted by the musical and spiritual contributions of Warren Cooper from the platform Ovations. Betty's work was both deeply challenging and profoundly meaningful. She remained steadfast in her mission to fight for those who could not fight for themselves and to carry a message of healing and justice to broader audiences.

Betty reached out to Jim Mercy of the CDC in pursuit of violence prevention strategies rooted in addressing untreated childhood trauma. Her vision helped frame trauma as a transmissible factor in cycles of community violence. Her voice resonated through platforms including ACETF, CDC, and OSHA.

Her academic path included undergraduate studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, graduate work at the Kent School of Social Work, and her doctorate at Bryn Mawr. Her professional journey took her from mental health work in Williamsburg, Virginia, to Johns Hopkins, and ultimately to Philadelphia, where she focused on the impacts of untreated trauma in children.

Betty was the only child of Mary Lee Carneal Davis and Oswell Julian "O.J." Davis. She cultivated and treasured lifelong friendships through her academic and professional circles, and she was a devoted presence in the lives of her extended family. When her mother could no longer live independently in Richmond, Betty brought her to Broomall, PA and cared for her lovingly until her passing.

Her legacy lives on in every life she touched, in every mother she comforted, and in every policy shaped by her voice.

Left to mourn her passing are her dear cousins Rick and Mike (Kathy) Williams, Terri (Tom) Wilcox, Julie (Tom) Jadwin, Mark (Marisa) Peacock, and her extended family of friends.

There will be a gravesite service at Riverview Cemetery in Richmond, VA on August 9, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. (1401 S Randolph St, Richmond).