Ora Lee (Garner) Davis passed away peacefully at her home on August 14, 2023.
She was born to Frankie and Arthur Garner on October 20, 1916, in Marion County. She lived in Salem, with her family, until marriage. Her mother, Frankie (Adams) Garner, and father, Arthur Garner, raised eight children in Salem. Ora’s brothers, Marion and Woodrow are both deceased. Her sisters, Eva Myers, Irma Daniel, Claudine Beal, Sarah Speake, and Nesta Frost, are also deceased.
Ora graduated from Salem High School in 1935. She worked at Tresler’s Five and Dime Store, in Salem, from 1935 to 1939. She married David B. Davis on December 24, 1939. Dave was born the son of Harry and Myrtle Davis of Dix, Illinois, and passed away in January 1993. Dave and Ora raised three children on a farm 3 miles northwest of Dix. Those three children were Jerry, Nancy, and Harry. Jerry and his wife, Marilyn, reside as Ora’s neighbors. Nancy, who married Jim Brock, passed away in 2016. Nancy and Jim lived in the Olney, Illinois, area all of their married life. Harry resides in Conyers, Georgia. Ora had nine nieces and nephews, Dick Burkett of Palm Springs, California, Steve Speake of Las Vegas, Nevada, Terry Johnson of Earlville, Illinois, Tammy Harper and Tika Hines (deceased), both of Salem, Lana Porter of Atlanta, Georgia, Mark Garner of Salem (deceased), Jackie Hubble of Texas, and Ronnie Garner of Wisconsin. Ora had nine grandchildren, Spencer Brock, Kristie Shoemaker, Kathie McVeigh, Jeff Davis, Jena Davis, Dan Dixon, Brian Davis, and Kerry Davis. She also had 12 great-grandchildren and 6 great-great-grandchildren. Ora was a proud, longtime member of the Jefferson County Homemakers. She also enjoyed her association with the members of the Red Hat Society. In addition to her job at Tresler’s in Salem, Ora Lee worked for Travelectric Company in Centralia, as well as the U.S. Postal Service, in Dix and Centralia. She enjoyed playing cards and dominoes with her many local friends, and she worked jigsaw puzzles every evening for the past several years. She was a member and regular attendee of the Little Grove Church, near Walnut Hill. Ora was a devoted wife and mother, was greatly loved, and will be greatly missed by all who knew her.
Funeral services for Mrs. Davis will be held at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, August 19, 2023, at Osborn Funeral Home in Dix, with Lance Boldt officiating. Burial will follow at Zion Grove Cemetery, next to her husband, Dave. Visitation will be held Friday, August 18, 2023, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Little Grove Church and will be accepted at the service, or by mail to Osborn Funeral Home, P.O. Box 130, Dix, Illinois 62830. Online condolences may be made at www.osbornfuneral.com, or on the Osborn Funeral Home Facebook page. The Davis family wishes to convey our profound gratitude to Diana Boyd. Diana has been a friend of Ora’s for many years. In the last 8 years, that friendship switched to her being Ora’s steadfast and dependable caretaker, and loving companion. Royal and Nancy Woodard have also been loyal, steadfast, and dependable friends of Dave and Ora for many years. The Woodards have frequently stopped by to check on Ora, always with a tasty edible treat in hand. The Woodards have always been our “go-to” source when Ora needed help.
