Mary Davis' Obituary
Mary Dean Davis, 88 of Tulsa, OK passed from this life to go home to be with her Heavenly Father on Sunday, January 6, 2019 at her daughter’s home in Naperville, IL. She was born January 16, 1930 in Abilene, TX to her parents, Lee Stanley Curry and Eythel Terrell Curry.Mary had two brothers, Thurman Lee “Buddy” Curry and Eddie B Curry. She had a twin sister, Martha Jean Curry Fay. They were inseparable until they day they were married. She had a love for ice cream since her dad worked for an ice cream dairy, he would never come home empty handed. Her family attended a small Fundamental Baptist Church then in High School moved to the University Baptist Church of Abilene. Mary and Martha sang duets at church and on the radio. She started playing the piano at a young age and by the age of 12, she started playing hymns at the church. She loved to thumb through the hymn books to see how many songs she could play.Mary attended Hardin-Simmons University in 1950 and was part of a cowgirl group that twirled ropes. She received her Music Degree as an Elementary Music teacher. Mary and Martha moved to Midland TX where she met James H. Davis. They married on April 17, 1954 in Abilene. This is the first time in 24 years that both Mary and Martha went in opposite directions with their husbands.Mary and Jim moved to Wichita KS for a couple of years and had their first daughter, Cheryl Ann. They then moved to Tulsa and joined Eastwood Baptist Church in 1958 where Mary became the Church pianist for the next 25 years. They had their second daughter Sonia Jean. Mary taught private piano lessons for 12 years. Many of her students were from Eastwood. She was a first grade Sunday School teacher for over 50 years where she also got to share the love of music and Jesus. Mary returned to teaching music in the Tulsa public schools in 1971 at Owen Elementary School. She retired in 1990 after 27 years of teaching.After she retired, she got her first baby grand piano. Those hymns sounded better than ever. Mary and Jim also enjoyed traveling by car to visit their children and their families wherever they were living at the time. Mary was diagnosed with dementia with it continuing to Alzheimer’s over the last several years. After her husband passed away, she moved, with her piano to Chicago to live with Cheryl. Even having Alzheimer’s, Mary continued to have a joyful, sweet and thankful spirit.Mary is survived by two daughters, Cheryl Pruitt of Naperville, IL and Sonia McAfee and husband John of Rancho Santa Margarita, CA; six grandchildren, Michael Pruitt, Stephanie Song and husband Eden, Matthew Pruitt and wife Kelly, Mitchell Pruitt and wife Megan, Johnny McAfee and wife Brittany, and Rachel McAfee and Fiancée Sonny; two great-grandchildren, Rose McAfee and Shane Song. She was preceded in death by her husband, James H. Davis; parents, Lee and Eythel Curry; two brothers, Thurman Lee “Buddy” Curry and Eddie B. Curry; and twin sister, Martha Curry Fay.Visitation will be from 4-7 p.m. on Thursday at Floral Haven Funeral Home. Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. on Friday at Eastwood Baptist Church in Tulsa, OK.
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