Dorothy Marie Davis

Dorothy Marie Davis (née Smith), 92, of Saint Peters, Missouri, passed away Tuesday August the 8th, 2023, from a well-lived life at her home surrounded by family.

Dorothy was born on April 8, 1931, to the late George and Goldie Smith in Williamstown, Missouri. Alongside her two older siblings and two younger brothers, she was raised in Fairmont, Missouri. She was a Missouri farm girl through and through. 
A few months after turning 17 in 1948, Dorothy graduated from high school. That fall, she started her first teaching job in a one-room schoolhouse with two students, kick-starting a 35-year career in elementary education. After three years of teaching with summers spent earning an associate degree, she spent the next ten years getting married, building a family, and earning a degree.

In 1951, Dorothy married Lewis in a private ceremony in Kirksville, Missouri. Even after spending her wedding night in the backseat of a snowed-in car with her sister and brother-in-law in the front seat, Dorothy and Lewis celebrated 52 years of marriage. 
Dorothy and Lewis went on to raise six children, Max Davis, Alan (Jocelyn "Joyce") Davis, Chris Davis, Carl Davis, the late Roy E. Davis, and Carol M. (Mark) Ahlemeyer. She was delighted to spend summers and special moments with her stepdaughter, Joyce Ann Becker.

While raising six children and being responsible for the business side of the family construction business, Lewis F. Davis and Sons Construction, she earned half of her bachelor's and all of her graduate education. 
She studied at Northeast Missouri State Teachers College/Northeast Missouri State University/Truman State University, Southeast Missouri State University, and Webster University. She earned a Bachelor of Science in elementary education, a master’s degree in Elementary Education, and an additional 30 graduate-level credit hours beyond her master's degree. 
Her hiatus from teaching ended after earning a position at the City of St. Charles School District, where she taught for the next 32 years. In the span of her 35-year career, she taught a variety of ages but spent most of her years teaching 1st and 3rd grades. She was a member of the Missouri Teachers Association and served as chapter President. 
In 1995, Dorothy retired and spent more time reading, traveling, embroidering, and spending time with her family. She was so proud of having traveled to all 50 states and internationally. Also, she used this time to increase her collections of banks, paperweights, and Santa Clauses.

Dorothy was preceded in death by her husband, Lewis F. Davis; her son, Roy E. Davis; her siblings, James M. “JM” Smith, Calvin (Betty) Smith, and Georgia “Madeline” (Norman) Crockett, and Leo “Vern” Smith; her siblings-in-law, Jean (Sam) Skochenko, Lee (Jeanie) Davis, and Margaret (Spouse); and a great-granddaughter.

She is survived by her children, Alan (Jocelyn "Joyce") Davis, Chris Davis, Carl Davis, and Carol M. (Mark) Ahlemeyer — all residing in/near Saint Charles County; her stepchildren, Joyce Ann Becker of Elkhart, Indiana, and Max Davis of Chiefland, Florida; her 14 grandchildren; her 21 great-grandchildren; and five great-great-grandchildren.

Services will be held at Baue Funeral and Memorial Center on West Clay on August 15, 2023. Visitation will begin at 11 am, while services will start at 12 pm. Flowers can be sent to Baue Funeral and Memorial Center on West Clay. Any other contributions can be to the American Diabetes Association