Grace Davis

Eva Grace Proffitt Davis (86) was born in Mountain City, TN, on August 27, 1936, and passed away on November 22, 2022. Grace was born to Fred Proffitt and Gladys Simcox Proffitt and was raised by her mother and maternal grandparents, Villa and Stacy Simcox, on Forge Creek. She adored her older brother, Daniel B. Proffitt, and her sister, Marian Proffitt Osborne, and was particularly close to her first cousins, Virginia Simcox Greer and Walter Burl Simcox. After graduating from Johnson County High School in 1954, she attended Grace School of Nursing in Morganton, NC, where she graduated as a Registered Nurse. She met Jack Davis through a nursing school friend, and they were married on January 4, 1966, in Elkton, MD. Grace worked more than 40 years as a Registered Nurse and spent most of her career as a nursing supervisor at Springfield Hospital Center in Sykesville, MD. After retiring, Grace moved back to Forge Creek in 1996. There she began volunteering with Hospice; Meals on Wheels; the Johnson County Senior Center; the Historical Society and Welcome Center. She was an active member of Hammons Chapel Church, the quilting group at the Senior Center, and worked side by side with Virginia to organize the annual high school reunion. Her fondest memories came from playing music with Walter. Navigating the crooked mountain roads, they played at local churches, senior centers, and funerals. Really whoever would have them. Their “band,” Friends of Grace, was a blend of twangy bluegrass and gospel that produced two CDs and more than a few good times. Throughout her life, Grace was strong, kind and selfless. Widowed at age 41 and left to raise two children as a single mom, life was certainly not easy for her. She worked extra shifts in a difficult job to provide stability for Tate and Becky. However, she also valued family and friends. After Jack died in 1977, Grace continued a close relationship with his parents, Dolph and Winnie Davis, and made sure they were a part of her children’s lives every single day. Not a holiday went by that the table was not full of friends and family, whether at Ninnie and Dot’s or The Farm. Grace lived as an example to all of us - to be kind and to love life regardless of circumstance. She never failed to find the lighter side in any situation. With a keen wit and a fantastic sense of humor, her storytelling ability was simply unmatched. What a gift that was to her friends and family. She is survived by her sister, Marian Proffitt Osborne of Creston, NC; half-sister Diana Proffitt O’Dell (Wayne) of Jonesborough, TN; half-brothers Edwin Proffitt (Linda) and Dwight Proffitt (Regina) of Elizabethton, TN; her son Vance Tate Davis (Sarah) of Laurel Bloomery, TN; daughter Rebecca Davis Felton (Wayne) of Raleigh, NC; stepdaughter Laura Davis Clements (Kenneth) of Silver Spring, MD and stepson Glenn Davis (Lisa) of San Diego, CA; grandchildren Davis Felton and Sarah Tate Felton of Raleigh, NC; step-grandchildren Eden Corum (Tom), Cody Matheson (Mandisa) and Jillian South of Mountain City, TN; Julie Clements Page (Ben) of Thurmont, MD; Michelle Clements Marconi (Steven) of Urbana, MD; Erica Davis Fortner (James) of Prescott, AZ and Allie Davis of Denver, CO; as well as five great-grandchildren and an amazing extended family who loved her immensely. Grace is preceded in death by her loving husband, Jack Davis; brother Daniel B. Proffitt and parents, Fred Proffitt and Gladys Simcox Proffitt. The family will receive friends at the Hammons Chapel Fellowship Hall on Forge Creek Road in Mountain City, TN, on Thursday, December 1, from 7:00 - 9:00 pm. Funeral services will be on Friday, December 2, at 11:00 am at Hammons Chapel, with burial to follow at the Davis Family Cemetery in Foscoe, NC. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Hammons Chapel Building Fund or the Dunn Family Cemetery Fund, both of which can be sent c/o Walter Simcox at 4283 Forge Creek Road, Mountain City,TN 37683. Online condolences may be sent to the family at www.huxlipfordfh.com Hux Lipford Funeral Home is serving the Davis Family.