BARBARA MARION DAVIS

BREWER – Barbara Marion (Griffiths) Davis, 85, died peacefully in her sleep Friday, Oct. 24, 2008, in the home she shared with her daughter and best friend, Scarlett. She was born May 20, 1923, in Weymouth, Dorset, England. She attended private schools and achieved her Oxford School Certificate. She never used it due to the outbreak of World War II. She opted to work instead at Ministry of Foods, helping with rationing; as a bookkeeper at Weymouth & District hospital; and as a volunteer fire watcher from the rooftops of the town, as they were being bombed by German planes. She met her husband, Vernon, a sergeant major in the U.S. Army in Weymouth, and they were married six months later. After the War, she came to join him in Maine helping him run Beaver Cove Camps on Moosehead Lake, which they owned for more than 30 years. When Vernon got his real estate license in the mid-1960s, they moved permanently to Greenville, where she served as his secretary/manager and advisor until he retired do to ill health. She was always an able businesswoman. She gave birth to her first child, Scarlett, in Dover-Foxcroft in 1958 and her second, Misti, two years later. She was a devoted wife and mother with a big heart. She was kind and intelligent, and always polite and friendly to everyone. Her sense of humor was strong and she smiled and laughed easily. She taught her children from birth in a way no school could have provided. She gave generously to animal charities, food banks, homeless shelters, etc. She was an accomplished seamstress, making most of the clothes for all the family and enjoying many other forms of needlework. She had a beautiful high soprano voice and sang in the choir at Union Evangelical Church. She was an ardent gardener and loved walking through her lovely gardens with friends and visitors. Her picture was featured standing in one of her gardens in People Places and Plants magazine. She had a strong sense of style and color in her gardens, her indoor decorating, her clothing and jewelry. She wrote stories, drew and painted, and was a fabulous cook. She was very successful in everything she was interested in and attempted. She and Vernon loved to travel and were able to see some wonderful parts of the world and often took their daughters with them. Her wish was to be remembered as a good mother and she was the best. She will be sadly missed every day. She was predeceased by her husband, Vernon Paul Davis. She is survived by her two daughters, Misti Winter Davis of Seattle and Scarlett Dawn Davis of Brewer; and their dear friend, Larry Springer, who she loved like a son. A graveside service will be held 1 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 29, at Greenville Cemetery, Greenville, with the Rev. Grace Bartlett, pastor of First Congregational Church of Brewer, officiating. Those who wish to remember Barbara in a special way may make contributions in her memory to her favorite charity, Best Friends Animal Society, a no kill shelter for every kind of animal in need. Donations to Best Friends may be sent to 5001 Angel Canyon Road, Kanab, UT 84741-5000. You may learn about them and other ways to give at www.BestFriends.org. A service of Brookings-Smith, 133 Center St., Bangor, where condolences to the family may be expressed at www.BrookingsSmith.com.