Longtime Beaumont resident and 30-year journalist at the Beaumont Enterprise, Lela Davis, 86, died at her home Saturday night, November 24, 2007. Born July 2, 1921, Lela lived the life of her dreams not only as an writer and entertainment editor but as wife to her late husband Charles (Charlie) Davis and mother to her four children—the late Charles Kent Davis, Mack Davis, Ann Davis Orchard, and Michael Bliss Davis. She was proud grandmother to, Jake Davis, Clayton Davis, Katie Perez, Tiffney Poole Hanna, Genevieve Neynes, Joshua Davis, Nikki Davis Brewer, Ann Marie Londier, Kimberly Jordan, and Chuck Davis; and great-grandmother of nine.
Throughout her life, Lela supported the Beaumont arts community and her church at Trinity United Methodist, where she and Charlie were charter members. She was a graduate of Beaumont High School and Lamar State College.
Lela Davis’s family, many Beaumont friends, and colleagues across the country will miss her kindness, her brilliant mind, her humor, her joy, and her compassion. Recently, Lela wrote about “the lucky life I have lived.” Those of us whom she leaves behind consider ourselves to be the lucky ones whose lives she shared.
Funeral services will be 3:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 28, 2007 at Broussard’s, 2000 McFaddin with burial to follow at Forest Lawn Cemetery. A gathering of family and friends will be Tuesday, November 27, 2007 from 4:00 p.m. until 6:00 p.m. at the mortuary. Serving as pallbearers will be Jake Davis, Clayton Davis, Josh Davis, Chuck Davis, Matt Brewer, Trent Hanna, and James Jordan.
Memorial contributions may be made to Trinity United Methodist Church, P. O. Box 5247, Beaumont, Texas 77726 or Lamar University, Fine Arts Department, P. O. Box 10011, Beaumont, Texas 77710.