Leah Davis

A tiny red-headed baby entered the world on February 5, 1925, in the Pea Ridge community north of Mansfield. Her parents, Ernest and Opal (Newton) Gaskill, named her Leah Mae. Opal wanted to name her A. Q., but luckily Ernie won the naming debate. They lived on this farm until 1928 when they moved to Ernie’s parents’ farm and built a new house. Leah and her parents were members of Pleasant Valley Cumberland Presbyterian Church. In 1930, at the age of five, Leah began her education at Number 5 school. She started school a year early because, without her, there were not enough students to keep the school open. Leah enjoyed her years at school playing on the swinging bridge that crossed the nearby creek. She became so proficient at this skill that she could get any swinging bridge out of rhythm so that no one could walk on it. In the 1930s the one-room schools held track meets in the spring, and Leah won every fifty-yard dash in which she participated, except one.

In 1939 Leah started her secondary years at Mansfield High School. She would walk two miles from her house to the house of her cousin, Eva Sue Gaskill, in order to meet the bus. During high school she was active in choir, pep club, and band. She especially enjoyed choir because they always dressed in formals when performing. Her nightly routine was to do homework, polish her nails, and clean her saddle oxfords. During her junior year she found the love of her life, Hap Davis. After her high school graduation in 1943, she continued her education at the College of Commerce in Springfield, where she received a full scholarship. She graduated with a certification in bookkeeping and accounting. While in Springfield, she lived at the YWCA and served coffee in the cafeteria. Leah’s first job was at Campbell 66 as a bookkeeper.

On January 14, 1945 Leah and Hap were secretly married in Douglas County by Reverend Letsinger. Leah’s parents were not overjoyed with their daughter’s fiancé, so the young couple did not reveal their marriage for several months. When they were first married, they lived in an apartment in Mrs. P. W. Newton’s house. Later they built a house on a farm adjoining Hap’s parents, and by 1950 they were living on Leah’s parent’s farm. In 1948 Leah began her career at the Bank of Mansfield, posting the daily transactions. On April 23,1953 the Davises welcomed their daughter, Kathy Sue, into their family. At the time of her daughter’s birth, Leah was twenty-eight years old, and many women thought she was quite old to be having her first child.

After the death of Leah’s father, the family, including Opal, bought a house in Mansfield and moved to town. They attended the Cumberland Presbyterian Church where Leah became a member. She was always actively involved in the church, serving in CPW, teaching Sunday school, singing soprano in the choir, and serving for over thirty years as treasurer.

As the years passed, Leah continued to move from one position in the bank to another. After posting, she moved to being a teller, then to a cashier, and finally to a vice president. After forty-three years, Leah retired from the Bank of Mansfield, but then went on to work part time there for ten more years.

On August 19, 1972 Kathy married Randy Short and Leah acquired a son-in-law she truly loved. Kathy often joked that her mother liked Randy more than she did her.

Happiness surrounded Leah as she welcomed her two grandchildren into her life. Barry was born in 1973 and Courtney in 1980. She was just as proficient at playing ball with Barry as she was at cooking with Courtney. As her grandchildren grew, she spent many hours watching ballgames, going to school functions, and truly loving them unconditionally. When her grandchildren were grown, they realized that Granny Leah wasn’t just a grandmother; she was also their best friend. She was called Granny Leah by not only her grandchildren, but also by their friends. Leah often said she had more grandchildren than anybody in town.

Retirement did not slow Leah down. Her garden became larger, she helped Hap at the farm, and she was always there when her family needed her. She spent many hours crocheting and making beautiful counted cross stitch items that she usually gave away. Leah was also active in the community, serving in many capacities over the years. Two of her favorite volunteer organizations were the Mansfield Scholarship Foundation, founded by the Class of 1943 at their fortieth-class reunion, and the Mansfield Area Historical Society. She served as treasurer for both groups for many years. Leah enjoyed her work at the Society’s Museum and was very popular with tourists since she had waited on Laura Ingalls Wilder at the bank. Leah held monthly historical society meetings at her house until 2020. She also served on the Number 5 Cemetery board for several decades.

To make her life complete she became a great grandmother to Amon James Allen on May 8, 2014. She and Amon were their happiest taking Kubota rides around the farm, picking wild berries, or eating snickerdoddle cookies she had baked. For her ninety fifth birthday Leah flew to Arizona to see Courtney’s family in their new home. They attended a Royals’ spring training game where Leah saw Mike Matheny. In her opinion he is the best-looking manager in major league baseball, even though he was no longer with the Cardinals. She rarely missed a St. Louis game on television and always enjoyed seeing the Springfield team live. Her favorite player was Harrison Bader.

Leah departed this life on May 14, 2022, at Glenwood Care Center, Seymour, Missouri where she had resided for six months. She is survived by her daughter, Kathy, and husband Randy; grandson, Barry Short; granddaughter, Courtney Allen, and husband Matt, who Leah thought of as her own; and great grandson, Amon Allen. She is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins that she was very close to. Leah was preceded in death by her husband of sixty-five years, Hap and her parents. As the poem says, Leah died as she lived, everyone’s friend.