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1939-2023
Elizabeth "Ann" Willis passed away in the morning of Monday, Dec. 18 at Cortland Healthcare after a 20-plus year battle with dementia.
She was born in Warren, Ohio Oct. 3, 1939, to parents Evan C. Davis and Pearl L. Davis. She grew up the second of seven children in Howland, Ohio. She is survived by an older sister, Sara (Lyell) Perry, and younger brothers Joseph (Mary Ann) Davis, John (Nancy) Davis and Clinton (Gloria) Davis. She was predeceased by brothers Evan "Bill" Davis and Newton Davis.
On Sept. 15, 1956, she married her high school sweetheart, Don L. Jarvis. They had four children together, Carrie (Rick) Kossler, Donald Jarvis, Colleen (Angelo) Fakkas and Corey Jarvis.
She was blessed with several grandchildren: Carl (Liz) Lonsbrough, Stephanie (Thomas) Martin, Chrissy Profera, Amber (Holly) Muczynski, Joelle (Rob) Emswiler, Katie (Jason) Landis, Malina Fakkas, Audrey Jarvis and Manny Fakkas; and nine great-grandchildren: Grace Gebhart, Mary Kate Gebhart, Alison Lonsbrough, Sadie Lonsbrough, Gwen Dougherty, Evan Dougherty, Phillip Emswiler and Braylon Martin. She became a great-great-grandmother recently with the arrival of Autumn Gebhart.
On July 5, 1989 she married Garland Willis, who passed away May 20, 2004.
Once her eldest child graduated from high school, Ann began attending Kent State University Trumbull Campus and received a B.A., Psychology in 1981. She liked getting involved and was president of Student Council as well as a staff writer for the Campus Newspaper. Ann was Student of the Year and won the Dean's Award in 1980. She decided to further her education by achieving a M.Ed., Educational Administration in 1983. She stopped short of obtaining her PhD to work full-time at Kent State University Salem Campus, assisting non-traditional students, of which she had been one.
Ann had many roles at KSU Salem throughout her career. She worked in student admissions and counseling and was their coordinator of Adult Services and Public Relations. She had a tireless passion for non-traditional college students and enjoyed public speaking engagements and holding workshops until her retirement in 2004. Her culmination of these efforts led to her receiving national recognition when she was chosen to receive the Best Practice Award for her work with veterans and her creation of Veterans Educational Information Seminars at KSU.
Ann's passion in life was her family! Not only her immediate family but also her adoptive student family. She was very welcoming and accepting of everyone. There was no person that she met in life that she couldn't hold a conversation with, which was her most undeniable Davis family trait. Her bubbly, talkative, artistic, creative, funny and smart personality will be missed by numerous people she affected in her life but none more than by her children. At this time of year her family will be reflecting about her greatest love of Christmas and how she prepared all year long for her famous "themed" Christmas'.
Services will be held at 2 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 21, 2023 at Carl W. Hall Funeral Home, where Pastor Jim Dittmar will officiate. Friends may call from 1 to 2 p.m. Dec. 21, 2023 at Carl W. Hall Funeral Home. Interment will take place privately in Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery next to her husband Garland.
12/20/23