GLOUCESTER: Helen J. (Rose) Davis, 91, died January 17, 2009 in Addison Gilbert Hospital following a brief illness. She was the wife of the late Robert C. Davis. They shared 62 years of marriage.
Born on January 6, 1918, Helen was the daughter of the late Manuel J. Rose Jr. and Lillian (Silva) Garron. Although she was born and raised in Gloucester until the age of 4, Helen and her father resided in California for 14 years before returning to Gloucester.
Helen was employed by D.O. Frost, A&P Supermarket, Mal’s Department Store and Union Hill Laundry, before her retirement. She was a member of Our Lady of Good Voyage Church, and a former member of both the D.E.S Club, and the Gloucester Fraternity Club Ladies Auxiliary. Helen was also a former member of the Mais Um Club, which was a social club founded by a group of friends
Her grandparents immigrated from Pico in the Azores, Portugal, to Ellis Island in the United States. From there, they moved cross country and settled in California. After the loss of her grandparents, she and her father moved back to Gloucester.
Helen made friends easily, and through these friends she met her husband, Robert. It was his dancing that she fell in love with first. For a while, they dated, and then married on February 4, 1940.
She was very proud of her Portuguese heritage and enjoyed sharing her many stories of her life in California with her father, her paternal grandparents and aunts and uncles. She spoke often of how her family had fruit trees, remembering how she would pick fruit before school in order to earn money. She also spoke of her grandmother’s garden, which helped to feed their large family.
Although spending time with her family was her greatest joy, Helen was a voracious reader who loved Dorothy Gilman’s “Mrs. Polifax” series, and Debbie Macomber novels, as well. Wonderword puzzles were also a favorite pastime.
Helen is survived by two daughters, Jean I. (Davis) Dutton and her husband, George “Terry” Dutton, Jr. of Gloucester and Marcia (Davis) Pequeno and her husband, Joaquim Pequeno of Danvers, a son, Alan C. Davis and his wife, Jennifer (Almeida) Davis of Myrtle Beach, SC, and their families. Helen also leaves behind nine grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.
Her funeral Mass will be celebrated on Wednesday, January 21st, in Our Lady of Good Voyage Church, Gloucester at 9:30 a.m. Visiting hours will be held on Tuesday in the Pike-Grondin Funeral Home, 61 Middle St. Gloucester from 4 – 8 p.m. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend. Interment will be held in the Calvary Cemetery, Gloucester. In lieu of flowers, in accordance with Helen’s wishes, donations may be made to Our Lady of Good Voyage Church, 142 Prospect St., Gloucester, MA 01930. In addition, the family would also appreciate any donations to VNA Care Hospice, 5 Federal St. Danvers, MA 01923(www.vnacarenetwork.org.)