Nephew Michael Shain was one of the last to visit her in her short stay in the hospital. Upon arrival this was their dialogue…
Joan: “Oh Michael, I knew you would come”.
Michael: “Joan, it is good to see you”.
Joan: “It is good to be seen”.
There was no other woman quite like Joan. Disarming to the end, she charmed and beguiled her doctors, caregivers and visitors.
Joan was born in Abbeville in 1933 and resided on Langley Street with her parents, Paul and Pearl Williams and siblings Paul, Thelma, Johnnie, Joyce, Alice and Elsie. She spoke often of her siblings and their children. Even though I am certain she did not write or call often, they were always on her mind.
Joan reminisced of her youth, often including their childhood chores, fishing with her father, the high school trip to Washington, DC, many stories of “Mama Joyce” and her generosity of spirit, tales of “Aunt Buggs and Uncle Art”, how close she was with Aunt Jane when they were children and how “Uncle Paul was a famous athlete”. She spoke often of her nieces, nephews and grandchildren and in recent weeks, we found hundreds of photos and scrapbooks she had gathered marking events in her family’s life.
Joan had a long and happy marriage to Clarence Westmoreland Davis, also of Abbeville. They had four children, Derek, Bruce, Jan and Claudia whilst living in Asheville, Raleigh and lastly, Spartanburg. They have four amazing grandchildren, Logan, Blake, Ashley and Courtney. In her final year, Logan would visit Joan weekly and she shared how much his attention meant to her.
Joan lived on her terms…strong, feisty, passionate, and mysterious with her own brand of glamor and a penchant for the dramatic.
She had many accomplishments:
A beguiling storyteller with unwavering views, an undiscovered artist with talents including ceramics, painting, carpentry, landscaping, knitting, sewing and basket weaving.
A beauty queen, including Miss Abbeville and Miss Merry Christmas.
A successful career with the telephone company in Abbeville, as a secretary at American Enka and finally in retail with Hudson Belk with roles including store buyer, head of department and even as a television fashion model for the chain.
A mother, daughter, sister, grandmother, cousin and auntie.
This beautiful creature lived out loud, but was blessed with peace and compassion as she passed gracefully on Sunday, February 17, 2019 at the age of 85.
There will be a private memorial service set in the coming weeks.
In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests that memorial contributions, in memory of Joan, be sent to McCall Hospice, 1836 W. Georgia Road, Simpsonville, SC 29680.
A message of condolence may be sent to the family by visiting www.harrisfuneral.com .
Harris Funeral Home and Cremation Services, Abbeville, is assisting the Davis family.
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Joan Claudia (Williams) Davis, please visit our floral store.