Cleo “Pat” Davis, a longtime resident of Delavan, passed away Feb. 1, 2017.
She was born Feb. 11, 1924, in Chicago. She was the daughter of Cleo Karusos and Morris Johnsen, but was raised by her mom and stepfather, Hiram Brown. The oldest of three children, she grew up in Duluth, Minn., and was a 1942 graduate of Denfeld High School.
Pat moved to Washington, D.C., shortly after graduation and lived with her grandmother. While in Washington, she trained and worked for AT&T as a telephone switching central operator. AT&T placed her at the White House to work during World War II. One of her many hobbies during this time was roller skating. She even had the opportunity to roller skate with Gene Kelly. It was also during a trip to the roller rink that she met her future husband, John, who was serving in the U.S. Navy at the time. Pat married John E. Davis in March 1946. The couple spent the next several years traveling around the United States with the military and then the big bands before settling in Delavan to raise a family in 1952. The couple had three children – Rand, Wendy and Patricia.
In addition to being a supportive wife and parent, Pat was active in several civic activities. She was a member of the Delavan United Methodist Church for almost 60 years. Additionally she was a member of the Eastern Star and volunteered for several community activities including Telecare and the Delavan food pantry, serving both until she was 92.
Pat was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, John; her two younger brothers, Morris and George Brown. Pat is survived by her three children, Rand with spouse Joyce Seeley, of Prior Lake, Minn.; Wendy with spouse Christian Gruber, of Gruensfeld, Germany; and Patricia with spouse Jerry Turley, of Santa Maria, Calif.
A private service and internment will be for immediate family and close friends at 11 a.m. Feb. 25 at the Roselawn Memory Gardens in Lake Geneva.
