Mary Gertrude Davis, age 99, of rural Marshall, MO, died Wednesday, April 6, 2022, at Boone Hospital Center in Columbia, MO.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 12, at Smith Chapel United Methodist Church, south of Marshall. Burial will follow at Smith Chapel Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 11, at Campbell-Lewis Funeral Home in Marshall.
Memorials are suggested to Smith Chapel United Methodist Church or the Marshall Community Food Pantry. Friends may sign the online register book at www.campbell-lewis.com.
Mary “Gertrude” Davis born in Little Rock, Arkansas on Feb 23, 1923, was received to her heavenly home on April 6th, 2022. Born of humble beginnings, reared in a log cabin in the backwoods of Arkansas, Gertrude led a long and rich life that deeply touched and impacted so many during her earthly time. She was a mother, a grandmother, a great grandmother, a sister, a daughter, and a passionate devoted servant of the good Lord.
Gertrude married Gervas “William” Davis Sr. on April 16th, 1940, in Mountain Home, AR. After their wedding she returned with her husband to operate the Davis family dairy farm in Marshall, MO, now a designated Saline County Century Farm. From the day she arrived in Marshall, she was blessed to reside until her death on the farm and in the 1911 farmhouse, the bedrock for several Davis generations. It was on this farm that Gertrude and William raised and nurtured a beautiful family that provided Gertrude with joy and love for the majority of her 99 years. Gertrude’s passions and caring extended beyond the farm as a committed member of the Marshall, MO community. She joined her husband as an active member in Smith Chapel United Methodist Church and held numerous leadership positions over the years – most notably with UMW and MYF. A devoted mother, Gertrude led and taught in the local 4-H Club. She served as secretary of the Napton School Board for years. Gertrude was honored as an Edward D Jones Golden Heart Award recipient. She co-founded H.E.A.T, a program established to assist Saline County residents struggling to meet their heating and cooling needs; Gertrude actively led H.E.A.T. for over 40 years.
Anyone who knew Gertrude wouldn’t have been surprised when the doctors reported she had an enlarged heart – we had all been recipients of the benefits of that huge heart of hers. She had an amazing sense of humor, was incredibly generous and could light a room with her smile. She touched and impacted countless number of lives and will be dearly missed.
Gertrude leaves behind her children – G William (Bill) Davis and wife Patricia of Grand Rapids Minnesota; M. Carolyn Jiles of Marshall, MO; Charles E. Davis and wife Joyce of Marshall, MO; five grandchildren – Laura Zimmerman, David William Davis and wife Tracy, Andy Davis and wife Wendy, Kristan Bell and husband Bryant, and Tammy Lambrecht; six great-grandchildren – Logan Davis, Cooper Davis, Dustin Davis, Olivia Lambrecht, Wyatt Lambrecht and William Bell; others who were like her own including Marvin Lee Hunt and Sarah Niemeier, numerous nieces and nephews, and many cherished friends whom she loved as family.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Gervas William Davis, one sister, Laura Ostler and two brothers, John Davis and Marvin Davis.