Elaine Davis obituary
Elaine Davis, age 96, passed away peacefully on June 10, 2023, with her daughter, Susan, by her side.
Esther Elaine Fogle Davis was born to Howard and Esther Fogle in Sharon, Penn. on November 23, 1926. She grew up in Clark, Penn. She graduated from nursing school in 1947 having served as an Army Cadet nurse during her training. She married David William Davis in 1947 and was married to him for 59 years before his death in 2006. They had six children and moved to Rochester in 1957 where her husband was an engineer with IBM, and she worked as a surgical nurse at the Mayo Clinic and the Rochester State Hospital.
Elaine belonged to PEO and was also a member of the First Presbyterian Church where she served as a Deacon and was a member of Ruth’s Circle. She volunteered in the Rochester schools, mostly in her grandchildren’s classes. She also was a volunteer in the Methodist Hospital gift shop. She enjoyed quilting and doll making, winning awards in both. She also loved playing bridge and dominoes, working in her beautiful gardens, traveling, and most importantly, her family. Any time she could spend with her grandchildren and great grandchildren was precious to her.
Several years after the death of her husband, Elaine moved to Lake City to live with her daughter, Susan, and husband, Ken. She lived there until her death. Elaine was very social. She always enjoyed time spent with the Lake City Woman’s Club, the Tuesday morning coffee group, going out to lunch, and sitting on the front porch with her buddy, Baxter, the family dog.
She is survived by her children Keith (Cathy) of McKinney, Texas, Gary (Dail) of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., Ted (Lana) of Edina, Minn., Richard of Marion, Iowa, and Susan (Ken) of Lake City, Minn. She had 13 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren. Elaine was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, her brothers Jack and Howard, a son (Thomas), twin grandsons and a daughter-in-law (Eileen).
Thank you to all the staff at St. Elizabeth’s Care Center for the wonderful care you gave our mom, grandma, and great grandma. Also, to the many friends who visited and provided loving support.
A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Rochester at 2 p.m. on June 25, 2023, with a casual gathering with refreshments afterward. The visitation will be an hour before the service, at 1 p.m.. The service will be livestreamed and will be available on YouTube at “FPC Rochester MN”.
Inurnment will be at the First Presbyterian columbarium at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the First Presbyterian Church (Elaine Davis Memorial) or to the Mayo Clinic Alzheimer’s disease research fund.