Gwendolyn Jane Davis

Gwendolyn Jane Davis, 62, of Acworth, GA, passed peacefully at home, surrounded by family and close friends, on Thursday, May 21st, after a spirited and courageous battle with cancer. She was born February 09, 1958, in Tryon, NC, the daughter of the late Raymond G. Davis and the late Edith Cochran Davis. After attending Rutherfordton-Spindale Central High School in Spindale, NC, she moved to Athens, GA, where she graduated from Cedar Shoals High School. She attended the University of Georgia, becoming a lifetime “Bulldawg,” sporting its colors on game day as enthusiastically as she cheered on the Central High Hilltoppers and the Cedar Shoals Jaguars. Her beautiful voice, discovered in Children’s Choir at Spencer Baptist Church and nurtured in Mixed Chorus and Chorale, made her a natural for solo performances with the Youth Choir at Milledge Avenue Baptist Church in Athens and weddings. Naturally athletic, Gwen loved the water and became a lifeguard at the Spindale Swimming Pool, continuing at Beaverdam Club House in Athens. She delighted in helping others love the water by teaching them to swim, especially her grandchildren. In recent years, she added river rafting to her favorite water sports. In addition to her love of water, she loved cooking, which, with her gift of hospitality, led her to run a bed and breakfast in St. Augustine, FL, and to pursue a course in Culinary Arts. Gardening was another of her passions- herbs, vegetables, flowers--and the birds and butterflies surrounding them. She loved the simple things in life. She read widely and nothing delighted her more than engaging in conversation about her reading from different perspectives. Her kind heart spilled over in generosity, and she enjoyed providing food for the homeless in programs at First Baptist Church, Savannah, and her home church, Milledge Avenue Baptist in Athens. For most of her life, Gwen was employed in sales. Whether marketing irrigation systems to grocery stores or servicing landscaping accounts, she was a devoted and successful sales team member. She was also an active member of both the Cumberland and Marietta Jaycees. Gwen’s greatest loves were her soul mate and caregiver Bob Southard, her beloved daughter Emily Walters Pitts (Troy) of Portland, TX, and her three grandchildren to whom she is “Yaya”: Faith Addison, Grace Caroline, and William Christopher Pitts, along with her faithful canine companion, Jackson Browne. In addition, she leaves behind her sisters, Joan Humphries (Carroll), Hoschton, GA; Brenda Hughes (Fred), Forest City, NC; Jill Gregory (Gentry), Whittiers, NC; and brothers, Kenneth Davis (Joyce), Chesnee, SC; and Danny Davis (Rhonda), Rutherfordton, NC. Other survivors include her “sister by another mother” Katie Cash; nieces, Ashleigh Humphries Winkie, Cumming, GA, and Allison Humphries McCord, Marietta, GA; Heather Hughes Kitzman, Lacey, WA, and Holly Hughes Kerwin, Charlotte, NC; Stacey Gregory Land, Greensboro, NC, and Melissa Gregory Henry, Franklin, NC; nephew, John Robert Davis, Thomasville, GA; and a host of friends and colleagues. Next to her strong faith in God, the most important thing in her life was family. The family she came from loved her, the family she created for herself adored her, and she doted on them at every opportunity. Arrangements are being handled by Leaf Cremation, 4324 Hwy 92, Acworth, GA 30102. A Memorial service will be held at Milledge Avenue Baptist Church at a date to be announced in June. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the 529 College Fund for her grandchildren. The family wishes to express its thanks to the physicians and staff at Emory University Winship Cancer Center, and to Amedisys Hospice Palliative Care Team. Instructions for the donations can be found at www.YaYasCherokeeRoseFund.info