Violet (Vi) Ruth Davis, 95, of Bozeman, MT passed away on March 3, 2023.
Vi was born on January 15, 1928, to Ira Clark Hammond and Carrie Jane Hayes in Mabel, OR, becoming the 11th of 13 children. She graduated from high school in Rainier. After graduation she attended Beauty Academy in Portland. She met Ervin Davis on a blind date and they married February 28, 1948. They had two children, Stanley and Karen, after they moved to Bozeman, MT. She worked as a bookkeeper but her true passion was in her self-taught knitting and sewing. She knit numerous cardigan and wildlife designed sweaters, as well as a ribbon dress. She made suits, jackets, and clothes for the whole family and then started making quilts.
She was a volunteer at Hand Crafters at the senior center, making quilt tops and putting them together. She always loved the wildest and craziest color combinations, and they always came out beautiful. She had the best sense of humor and was quick to give quirky, heartwarming remarks to silly questions or statements! She got great joy “supervising” Karen at gardening, canning crops, and especially laying out material for quilts.
She went on trips to Nashville and New England, as well as cruises with family to Alaska and with Karen through the Panama Canal and a paddle boat on the Mississippi.
Vi was a lifetime member of Eastern Star, White Shrine of Jerusalem, and was a Grand Cross of Colors member.
Vi is survived by her daughter, Karen Ann Wilke; grandsons, Jason A. (Sara) Arnold and Devin T. (Katherine) Wilke; great-grandchildren, Collin and Peyton Arnold; and numerous nieces and nephews and their families. Vi is preceded in death by her husband, Ervin; son, Stanley E. Davis; parents, Ira and Carrie Hammond; brothers, Douglas, Leonard, Clark, Raymond, Leslie, Sylvan, Vern, Clifford, Orville and Ai; and sisters, Sylvia and Mary.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Shriners Childrens Hospital, 911 W 5th Ave, Spokane, WA 99204.
A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Wednesday, May 24 at Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service.
Arrangements are in the care of Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service. www.dokkennelson.com [dokkennelson.com]
