Joy Smith Davis

Joy Smith Davis died peacefully in Houston on April 10 after many years of failing health. Born in Timpson, Texas on March 17, 1923, she was the fifth and youngest child of James Homer Smith and Pearl Smith. Her early years were happy ones, spent in the warmth and love of her large family on their farm in East Texas. A beautiful and intelligent young woman, she excelled in academics, tennis and debate. After graduation, she moved with her parents to Houston where she worked and attended the University of Houston before transferring to the University of Texas. In Austin, she enjoyed her studies and made lifelong friends, some of whom she always cherished as the “Kirby Hall Group”. But the War had begun, and that handsome young Navy officer and Rice Graduate she had met in Houston had asked for her hand in marriage. In April of 1944, she boarded a train for New York City to marry John Benton “Jug” Davis, Jr., just a few months before he “shipped out” for the Philippines. Their loving marriage endured for over 53 years, until his death in 1997. His career in the petroleum exploration and services business took them and their three children through many moves to many different locations in Texas, Nebraska, and Colorado, but Joy always rose to the challenge, supporting her husband and collecting friends and good memories all along the way. In 1959 they moved back to Houston – to Texas and to “home” – where they would spend the rest of their lives. Joy and “Jug” were charter members of Memorial Drive United Methodist Church, and over the years she served as Board President, Circle Leader, BridgeBuilders Sunday School Class President, and in many volunteer ministries there and elsewhere. She was a woman of deep Christian faith, and she lived it through her care and compassion for others. Her life revolved around her family and her friends, and her love and concern for them. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and three siblings: Bess Smith, Dale Smith, and Marcelle Smith Cowart. Joy is survived by her children and their spouses: Jan Davis Pickle and Gary of Austin; James Benton Davis and Sharon of Houston; and John Kimsey Davis and Kathy, also of Houston; her grandchildren Joseph Benton Pickle (Dorie), Shane Tyson Davis (Brooke), Lorena Joy Pickle Allen (Jeremiah), and Eliot Grayson Davis; and seven great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her brother Robert Ray Smith and her sister-in-law, Marceil Smith, both of Houston, and nieces and nephews Edmund Cowart, Kathy Cowart Hall, Karen Smith, K Smith Leonard, Rob Smith, and their families. Her family is grateful for the services of Houston Hospice, and for the loving care given our mother by her special angel caregivers. After a private interment service, a memorial service and celebration of her life will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 14 at Memorial Drive United Methodist Church, 12955 Memorial Drive in Houston. A reception will follow in the Church’s Friendship Court. If desired, memorial gifts may be given to Houston Hospice or to the Edith L. Moore Nature Sanctuary in Houston.

Joy Smith Davis

March 17, 1923 - April 10, 2012