Wilma Lou "Mom" (Cox) Davis
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 3D - March 22, 2020
Wilma Lou Davis
December 9, 1922 - March 17, 2020
Wilma Lou (Cox) Davis, 97,
went to be in the arms of our
Heavenly Father, March 17,
2020 with her daughter, Diana,
by her side.
Wilma was born December
9, 1922, at the family home in
Axial, Colorado. She was the
fourth child of Lester Ward Cox
and Ethel Bates Cox.
Wilma “Mom” attended
school in Hamilton, Colorado,
and enjoyed riding her horse
“Pet” to school. In elementary
school, she won an essay contest
and a trip to Washington D.C.
She left the boondocks and rode
in a train to D.C. and recalled
being very nervous.
Mom loved a neat and tidy
home and also loved working
outside. She tended to her garden
and canned various items to fill
the cellar at our Wilson Creek
Ranch. Alongside her husband, Walt, and “the girls”, were many
hours irrigating, putting up hay, and tending to the cattle and sheep.
At age 62, Mom obtained her Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA)
license. She worked at Craig Memorial Hospital, Craig, CO, where
she found her gift in life by helping people.
She and Walt later moved to Grand Junction. Mom later moved
to Montrose, Nucla, and back to Grand Junction in 2010. At age 85,
she survived a battle with cancer and proceeded to knit hundreds
of hats for cancer patients.
We daughters were blessed to have such a wonderful mother. She
always had a positive attitude and found so much beauty in nature,
from birds to cloud formations. Mom’s hobbies were sewing,
knitting, crocheting, making quilts, geneology, and word search.
She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, and had many callings throughout her life. A thrilling time
for her was when she was able to go to the temple and participate
in the blessings.
Preceding her in death are her parents; first husband, Rueben Roe
Duke; second husband, Orville Clifton Yoder; husband, Walter
Charles Davis; brothers, Alan Cox, and Bud Cox; sisters, Janice and
Arlene Cox, and Laurine Slaugenhaupt; son-in-law, Estel Pelley,
and grandson, Gregory Pelley.
She is survived by daughters, June Duke Pelley, of St. George Utah;
Janet (Frank) Self, of Eureka, NV; Kelly Davis Smith and Diana
Davis-Reiber (Chuck), both of Grand Junction, CO; brothers, Lester
(Jr.) Cox, Sherrill Cox, and Leroy Cox of Grand Junction; sister,
Loretta Cox Ainsworth of Rangely, CO; grandchildren, Gwendolyn
Pelley (Lynn) Mortenson, Deseri Self (Andrew) Marshall, and
Darin Self; 12 great, and 16 great-great-grandchildren.
Graveside services will be Monday, March 23, 11:30 a.m., at
Grand Junction Memorial Gardens Cemetery, 2970 North Ave.
Wilma’s family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to
the staff at Mesa Manor who so lovingly cared for Mom these la
