Fannie Edith Davis

Fannie Edith (Wissman) Davis, age 89, resident of Nesmith, South Carolina (formerly of Pekin, Illinois) went to be with her Lord and Savior on December 8, 2020 at Hillcrest Hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Fannie was born on June 29, 1931 in Pekin, Illinois and was the daughter of Rudolph and Mildred (Weaver) Wissman. Fannie’s paternal grandfather and grandmother were both born in Germany. They were married in Havana, Illinois and were successful farmers there. Fannie’s father Rudolph grew up on the Wissman family farm. He homesteaded in Montana, served in the armed forces in WW1 and then returned to Havana, Illinois where he met Fannie’s mother Mildred Weaver.

The 1918 flu pandemic had resulted in many orphaned children. Fannie’s aunt and uncle were living on the Weaver family farm near Mason City, Illinois and had lost their two daughters to the flu.  They decided to take in orphans, eventually caring for over 40. Fannie’s mother had moved to the farm to work as a cook, and her father to be, an experienced carpenter, had moved there to work building rooms onto the house. Two years later, they were married and moved to Pekin, Illinois.

Fannie was born and grew up in the small town of Pekin with 3 brothers and 3 sisters. Sadly, one sister Violet died at a young age. As a little girl, Fannie contracted scarlet fever. The doctor did not expect her to live.  Yet the gracious Lord healed her.

Fannie grew up during the depression, a rough time for a house carpenter with a large family. So, she helped her mother with cooking, laundry and tending the large garden and the chickens and goats. To bring additional income to the household, she sold eggs and garden produce door to door, and took care of neighbor’s children after school. During her high school years, Fannie also worked for a seed corn company in the fields de-tasseling corn stalks.

Fannie continued school, graduating with the Pekin High School class of 1949. She made lifelong friends in high school and attended her last school reunion at age 83.

Fannie met and married Wendell Davis in 1949. He was a Navy pilot returned from WW2, having moved to Pekin to work. Their first tiny home was built by Wendell and Fannie’s carpenter father. Fannie worked at the telephone company as a switchboard operator and later as a supervisor. In 1952 a son was born and in 1954 a daughter.  With the post war housing demand, Wendell started his own house building business, which continued as a lifelong career. Fannie went back to school obtaining her cosmetology license. She opened the Park Avenue Beauty Salon which operated for 10 years in Pekin. They continued to build and operate rental properties. In 1972 they built a beautiful home with a lake on land near Green Valley, Illinois.

In 1980, they purchased 180 acres of land near Nesmith, South Carolina. They built a log house as a future retirement home. Fannie later relocated to the house near Nesmith where she could also be near her daughter’s family. She continued her work life there as a nanny, as an employee of Tupperware and House of Raeford. She eventually retired and the Nesmith house remained her residence until this year. In recent times she moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma to be closer to her son Randall and his family.

Fannie had trees planted on the Nesmith land. Those trees grew tall, transforming the property to a refuge for all types of wildlife.  She spent many hours sitting on her bench swing watching the amazing variety of birds and animals.

In South Carolina, Fannie filled her life with activities with her daughter’s family living nearby. Also, she looked forward every year to her favorite activity, an off season stay on the beach in nearby Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. During those stays, she acquired a lifelong northern “snow bird” family. Being the only South Carolina “local” in the group, she became tour guide and friend that was there to see to their needs.  Fannie was known with the beach friends as the “pecan lady”. At Nesmith she had a dozen or so pecan trees. She harvested and picked out nuts for endless hours, and graciously shared the harvest with friends and family.

Fannie’s faith and trust in Christ began in childhood. She was baptized and confessed her faith. She and Wendell joined the Trinity Lutheran Church in Pekin after their marriage. When she later moved to South Carolina, she worshiped with Baptist, Pentecostal, and Presbyterian Church of America congregations.  Most recently she worshiped with the Orthodox Presbyterian Church in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Fannie was a giving person and a member of charitable organizations, including the Loyal Order of Moose, and a sorority chapter. Fannie worked hard with her sorority friends to start a home in Pekin, Illinois to help adult children with learning disabilities to gain work skills, life skills and a happy stable living arrangement. This was dear to Fannie’s heart, as she grew up with a brother having a severe learning disability and had a close friend with a similar situation.  They opened the home in 1960 with 1 staff and 13 adult children. The facility grew and it was taken into a corporate sponsored foundation.  Praise God, today the facility serves about 450 young adults in need with a staff of nearly 120.

Fannie’s other interests included: couples bowling, entering numerous bowling tournaments in central Illinois, gardening, collecting antiques and travel. She traveled throughout the USA in a camper in the 1960’s. Later in life she traveled the USA again with group tours. In recent years she traveled with her daughter’s family to Germany, France, and Egypt.

Most of all she loved to spend time with her children and grandchildren, extended family and many friends in Illinois, South Carolina, and Oklahoma. It can be said that Fannie never met a stranger. She was quick to help others, and always had a smile.

Surviving Fannie are her two children; Randall Davis (Amy) of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and Brenda Lesesne of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; four grandchildren, Paul Davis, Sarah Evans, Megan South, and Molly Crumbo; four great grandchildren, Graham Evans, Mason Jenkins, Andrea Crumbo, and Evelyn (Evie) South; and many nieces and nephews and other relatives.

Fannie was preceded in death by her parents Rudolph and Mildred Wissman; by 3 brothers, Rudolph Wissman Jr, Herman Wissman, and Robert Wissman and by 3 sisters, Josephine Johnson, Connie Ray, and Violet Wissman.

A private family funeral service and celebration of Fannie’s life will be conducted at 1:00 PM on Saturday, December 19, 2020.

Family and friends may share memories online at www.brownfamilycares.com.  The family of Fannie Edith Davis entrusted her care, cremation, and service to Brown Family Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 210 S. Broadway, Coweta, Oklahoma 74429, 918-486-5515 .