Doris Dell (Felton) Davis

Jay Guy and Ella (nee Thomas) Felton of Unadilla, Georgia were blessed with seven children:  

John Richard ‘Sunny’, Jay Guy “Curley”, William “WM” Felton, Louis, Alfonzo, Doris “Dot” and Herman. Doris was born the on July 8, 1932 in Macon, Georgia and at a very young age, she lost her mother to illness and separated from her father by the war. The Thomas-Felton family held the kids together with the aid of Aunts and Uncles. The 2 girls Doris and Alfonzo were further raised by Aunt Sir Ruth Dell Thomas and Calvin Baskin. Doris received her early education at Vienna High School in Vienna, GA. When she was not in school she was at church or working the big farm full of cotton, peanuts, corn, turnip greens, sweet potatoes, watermelon, cantaloupes, field peas, onions and fig trees for jelly. The major duties for Doris on the farm was to gather cotton (by hand). The cotton gatherers had to individually meet a weight requirement. Doris super smart method to gather the cotton was to gather it in the very early time when it was cooler, and it allowed the morning dew to make the cotton heavier and easier to meet weight. When she met the cotton weight requirement, she would sit in the shade and watch the others work. As a young girl she was baptized at Big Poplar Spring Baptist Church where she also served as an Usher.

At age 19, Doris met and married John R. Davis Sr. on November 3, 1951. They had a small private ceremony attended by the late Mrs. Booker T. Davis and Aunt Ruth Dell Thomas. The beautiful bride wore a sleeveless navy blue and white dress with little matching jacket and hat. The groom was decked out in his high school graduation suit. 

 With her new husband, she left the farming life of Unadilla, Georgia and moved to Cincinnati, Ohio. Once on Cincinnati soil, she immediately joined Beulah Missionary Baptist Church where she was regular attendee of Sunday School and member of the Kitchen Ministry, Children’s Day programs and Senior Ministry. Doris was clearly a nurturer because over the next 14 years she gave birth to 9 children (7 boy and 2 girls). Doris was re-united with her father, Jay Guy and he was brought back to Cincinnati to live out his life with her, John R and the children.  After many years of raising the children and managing the household of now 11 members, in 1972 Doris began working outside the home. She started her career at the Holiday Inn in housekeeping.  She later transitioned to Clifton Center Nursing Home where she worked for 11 years.  There she became well-known for her high personal care of the residents. After that experience, she became private duty care giver and spent 10 years working for the Dr. Barrett family for over 9 years. She later departed professional private duty for family duty; that is the duty of full time childcare for 2 of her grandchildren. Doris took on the challenge of nursing them from premature and underweight babies to thriving and strong children. Once the 2 grandchildren were strong enough, she returned to the workforce outside the home as a Sr. Companion for Harmony Court Adult Day Care. Doris became one the eldest senior companions in the program. Doris was so dependable that Harmony Court found it very hard to replace her after 5 years of service.

Doris and John R were the perfect pair. He financed the family, she fed the family and they both gave instructions on the value of Faith, Family, Education and Hard Work.  Doris was quiet and modest, always acknowledging that any of her accomplishments was “by the grace of God and not without help from family and friends”.

Doris was preceded in death by her loving husband of 62 years, John R.; her son Arthur; her daughter, Patricia ‘Trish’ Welch; her brothers, Sunny, Jay Guy “Curley” and Herman; her sister, Alfonzo Davis; and her grandsons Joshua and James Jr.

Doris leaves to cherish her memory 6 sons Booker T., of Atlanta, GA, James W. (Etta) of Warner Robin, GA, Ron L. (Donna) of Atlanta, GA, Kelvin Sr. (Karen), John R. (Teresa), Wayne (B. Lynn); 1 daughter Martina (Donald) – all of Cincinnati, OH; 15 grandchildren Natasha, Brooke (Lawrence), Mahasin (Aleem), Tameshia (Lamar), Tiffany, Khalil, Latoya, Brittani (Desmond), Rochelle, Donald, Ryan, Kelvin, Alix, Tina, Kenneth, Jasmine, Shannon and a host of great grandchildren. She is also survived by her brothers “WM”, Louis, and Alfonzo, in-laws, and a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives and devoted friends.

Visitation is from 10:00 am until 11:30 am, on  Saturday, October 27, 2018, at the Beulah  Missionary Baptist Church, 1834 Section Road, Cincinnati (45237).  During the visitation the Order of the Eastern Star will perform a ceremony from 10:30 a.m. until 11:00 a.m.   The funeral service will immediately follow and will begin  at 11:30 am.

Interment will follow at Spring Grove Cemetery, 4521 Spring Grove Avenue, Cincinnati, Ohio (45232).

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Walker Funeral Home, 1025 E. McMillan Street, Cincinnati (45206)  is serving the  Davis family.  Please call (513) 251-6200 or visit www.WalkerFuneralHome.com for additional information.

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