Barbara B. Davis

Barbara B. Davis, of Cranston, RI and formerly of Bedford, MA, passed away in Providence, RI on May 15, 2018. She was predeceased by her husband of 60 years, Willis L. Davis, who passed away in Bedford, MA on May 29, 2015.

Barbara, born July 25, 1932 in Mt. Vernon, NY, was the daughter and only child of the late Claudia (Hare) and Jake Bostic. Willis, born June 4, 1927 in Lynchburg, VA, was the son of the late Oleatha (White) and Willis Davis and brother of the late Calvin O. Davis.

Willis and Barbara met in Fredericksburg, MD, married on December 24, 1955 and relocated to Bedford, MA to work and raise their family. Undeterred by racial injustices and indignities of the day and being great believers in the power of education, Willis and Barbara advanced themselves with education while encouraging and supporting their children to do the same. As first-generation college attendees, Barbara and Willis earned Bachelor’s Degrees (Morgan State College and Howard University) and Master’s Degrees (New York University and American University) prior to marriage and later earned Doctorate Degrees (Boston University and Harvard University) while working full-time and raising their children. Willis worked as a mathematician / statistician at AVCO and MITRE, and taught Statistics at Harvard University. Barbara worked first for the Girl Scouts of America and then in the Westford, MA (Special Education) and Bedford, MA (Psychologist) school systems.

In addition to many dear friends and extended family, Willis and Barbara are survived by son, Peter B. Davis, USMC (Ret.) of Oceanside, CA; daughter, Nancy M. Davis (John O’Hara) of Cranston, RI; sisters-in-law, Vonnie Davis of Lynchburg, VA and Dorothy Powell Davis of Bunker Hill, WV; and nephew, Kelly Davis (Katrin) of Berlin, Germany.

For all that Willis and Barbara accomplished individually and together, they never boasted but instead lived simple, unassuming lives and were happiest being together in their Bedford home.

Per their requests, formal services and announcements have been respectfully omitted. To honor the memory of our parents, for who they were as people and for how they lived their lives, Peter and Nancy ask that, in lieu of flowers, you give of yourselves - freely, often and generously - to help the less fortunate, acting always with great kindness and compassion, and never with any expectation of recognition or reward.