Davis, Leona

Leona Pauline Davis lived a life filled with love for her faith, her family, her friends, and her flowers. She was born in New Baden on September 30, 1912, to John and Louisa (Herbstreith) Baehr, and was a graduate of New Baden Community High School. She was a telephone operator for 15 years in New Baden and enjoyed her position very much, many times remarking, "I don’t know what I would have liked better!" She retired in 1948 when she married the love of her life, Abraham B. "Abe" Davis on June 5, 1948 at Zion United Church of Christ in New Baden. Leona never remarried after the death of her husband on January 24, 1963 because, she said, she already had the best husband in the world. Leona took great pride in her home and garden. She could be found working outside from the earliest days of spring to the last days of autumn, tending her beautiful flowers and grooming her yard. She was also an accomplished seamstress and sewed most of her own clothing as well as her daughter's. She enjoyed reading; even as an eight-year old, she said she read the newspaper from cover to cover. As a youth, she spoke fluent German but with the advent of World War I, the citizens of New Baden no longer spoke the language, even in their homes. She was always full of stories of her family from her earliest childhood to last Christmas. Leona was a member of Zion United Church of Christ in New Baden, and spent many hours there worshiping and taking part in its activities; it was a central and very important part of her life. Leona’s life spanned travel by a horse drawn surrey to seeing men travel to the moon. She remembered when Scott Air Force Base was named Scott Field and when dirigibles flew so low in the sky that she could wave to the pilots from their backyard. She began sewing doll clothes at age six, a hobby that she enjoyed her entire life. For the last four years of her life, Leona lived with her daughter in Bettendorf, Iowa, and spent the last six months at Riverview Manor in Pleasant Valley, Iowa, where she made friends and enjoyed the daily activities. She was thankful that she remained alert and walking almost to the day of her passing on February 27, 2008, at Genesis East Hospital in Davenport, Iowa. She was 95 years old. Those who forever will miss her are her daughter, Carol, and son-in-law Michael Hart, granddaughter Susanna and great granddaughter, Annah Eberhardt, who brought so much joy to her, as well as many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents and siblings Oliver Baehr, Walter Baehr, twin brother Leroy Baehr, and Doris Weldon. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, March 3, 2008 at Zion United Church of Christ in New Baden, IL with Rev. Gretchen Sterrett officiating. Burial will follow at Greenmount Cemetery in New Baden. Friends may call Sunday, March 2, 2008 from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and on Monday, March 3, 2008 from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. at Hempen Funeral Home in New Baden. Memorials may be made to Zion United Church of Christ Building Fund and will be received at the funeral home.