Obituary of Betty Clare Davis

Betty C. Davis, 99, widow of the late Frank D. Davis, passed away Monday July 12, 2021, in the Meadows at Shannondell, Audubon, Pennsylvania.

Betty was born Betty Clare McArthur in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho on June 27, 1922, the daughter of the late Clare W. McArthur and the late Emma Marie Bookwalter. She was the widow of the late Frank D. Davis, the love of her life, with whom she raised five daughters and shared 57 years of marriage.

As a child, Betty and her family lived in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, and Alaska. She attended the University of Alaska from 1940 to 1942, when she left school to work for the military following the United States’ entry into World War II. Toward the end of the war, she travelled cross-country from Alaska to Elkins, West Virginia, where she worked as a bookkeeper for a local accountant. She met her future husband, Frank, on a blind date in 1951 and they were married in November of that year. They initially settled in Buffalo, NY, and over the years Frank’s career took them to  Long Island, NY; St. Croix, USVI; Brockport, NY; and Florence, SC, where they lived for 34 years. In 2006, Frank and Betty moved to Honey Brook, PA to be closer to family.

Betty was creative and skilled across multiple artistic endeavors, especially fabric arts such as quilting, knitting, crocheting, embroidery, and needlepoint, all of which she taught her daughters. Her children and grandchildren benefitted from her exquisite sewing and tailoring skills, which were applied to smocked dresses, Halloween costumes, prom dresses, doll clothes, and a wedding dress. Betty was costume designer for the Florence Regional Civic Ballet Company and the Florence Little Theater, where she was also a member of the Board of Directors. Her artistic ability extended to sketching, creative writing, cookie decoration, hand-crafted gingerbread houses, and custom-designed Christmas stockings for every member of her extended family.  Betty will also be remembered for her green thumb, successfully nurturing exotic plants that thrived under her care.  

Betty was a devoted wife, loving mother and grandmother, and a kind, generous mother-in-law. Perhaps her greatest gift to her family was an ability to enjoy the small moments that make a life, and, through her example, to help her children appreciate the beauty in small details. Despite many moves throughout her life, Betty always found a way to bloom wherever she was planted and to make a home for her family where all felt safe, happy, and loved.

Betty is survived by her five daughters, Barbara A. Flannery of Haw River, NC; Deborah D. Keene of Pittsburgh, PA; Melinda D. Mercurio of Phoenixville, PA; Susan D. Moody of Mount Juliet, TN; and Elizabeth H. Davis of Seattle, WA; as well as seven grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren.

Memorial services and interment will be private. Online condolences may be made  at www.rstrunkfuneralhome.com.