Edith Davis
Edith Williams Baker Davis died peacefully in Atlanta on Friday, December 9, 2016, after a brief illness.
Originally from Chattanooga, Edith had moved to Atlanta in 2009 to be near family and to make new friends. Nonetheless, she never considered anything but Chattanooga “home,” and loved to make the trip up as often as possible. Edith and her twin sister Betty (Betty Williams Cook) were born in Chattanooga to Tommie B. and Cecil H. Williams. Born around the same time the Charleston became popular, Edith and Betty sometimes performed the dance in between tap dances, and it was told that they even performed at the Tivoli in downtown Chattanooga. That their father was most patient in faithfully attending the dreaded violin recitals, along with fruitless piano lessons over numerous years, made Edith swear never to force any music lessons at all on her own children. Since her mother was so well known for her Southern cooking, she limited her own culinary renown to a delicious, if traditional, lemon meringue pie. Always with a smile, Edith’s style was outgoing both in dress and in meeting people.
After attending Chattanooga High School and the University of Chattanooga (now UTC), Edith was married for 50 years to Carl C. Baker, and they had two children, Anna Baker Boller and Dwight Caldwell Baker (Deborah), both of whom survive her. Her three grandchildren, Justin Boller (Julie), Will Baker and Katelin Baker, were the apples of her eye, and she was delighted by her two great-granddaughters Mary Katherine and Charlotte.
After being widowed for five years, Edith had a late-in-life marriage to Jack Davis, which was too brief but brought much enjoyment.
A close friend described Edith as “always perfectly coiffed and turned out in fashion with her favorite earrings and a pin or brooch.” She was in tune with young people, probably from her 27 years working at The McCallie School in the headmaster’s office. She loved shopping for clothes, decorating her home, and had a knack for picking out the perfect gift for everyone. As recently as three weeks before her death she had asked her daughter to take her to Talbot’s to freshen up her winter wardrobe.
While living in Chattanooga, Edith was a member of Centenary Methodist Church for over fifty years, then First Presbyterian. In Atlanta, she enjoyed attending Trinity Presbyterian and St. Luke’s Episcopal churches.
The funeral will be held on Friday, Dec. 16, at noon, following visitation from 11 a.m.-12 p.m., at Chattanooga Funeral Home East, 405 S. Moore Rd. Chattanooga, TN 37412. Interment will follow at Chattanooga Memorial Park.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The McCallie School, 500 Dodds Avenue, Chattanooga, Tn. 37404.
Please share your thoughts and memories at www.ChattanoogaEastChapel.com.