Margaret Kathleen Davis Wells

Margaret (Kathleen) Davis Wells, the youngest child of Byron and Lydia Davis, was born December 30, 1922, in Bay City, Michigan. Byron Davis died just 5 days before Margaret was born and she, along with her older brothers, were raised by her mother and Lydia's second husband, Eugene Bing, in Tawas City, Michigan. Margaret often said, ""He (Eugene Bing) was not my biological father but he was my dad in every way there is."" Margaret spent her early childhood in Tawas City, Michigan, living first in a modest house without running water or electricity but nonetheless always remembering that time with great fondness. Her earliest memories include playing ""jacks"" and ""hide & seek,"" climbing trees, reading, and roller skating. Margaret started school in the Kindergarten but after just two weeks, was promoted to first grade. During her school years, Margaret played the trombone in the band, wrote for the school newspaper, and played piano for the Glee Club. She graduated as Valedictorian of her high school class and received a scholarship for 2 semesters of college in recognition of the achievement. Margaret attended Central Michigan College of Education (Central Michigan University) for a year before enrolling in Grace Hospital's (Sinai Grace Hospital) nursing school in Detroit. With the country at war in the early nineteen forties, Margaret elected to join the Navy and finished the last 6 months of her nurse's training as a Cadet Nurse assigned to a Navy hospital in Oakland, California. In the fall of 1944, while working at the hospital, she met her future husband, Clayton H. Wells, a Chief Petty Officer in the US Coast Guard. Clayton suffered a serious, noncombat-related injury while on deployment in the South Pacific during the war and was evacuated to a long-term recovery ward at Margaret's hospital in Oakland. For Both Margaret and Clayton, it was love at first sight. After a brief courtship, Margaret married Clayton on March 24, 1945, in Detroit, Michigan, and lived briefly in Detroit while Clayton completed his enlistment in the Coast Guard. Their first daughter, Karen Lee Wells, was born in December of 1945. Four additional children soon followed: David, (who died in infancy), Pamela, Paul, and Douglas. The family lived for a time in Clayton's hometown of Oak Park, Illinois, then moved to La Grange, Illinois, in 1952. While in La Grange, Margaret worked as a nurse on the orthopedic wing of the Hinsdale Sanitarium (Adventist Hinsdale Hospital), was active in her children's schools and the Western Springs Baptist Church, collected Depression glass and other antiques, enjoyed reading romance novels, and completing the daily crossword puzzle published in the Chicago Daily News. Margaret and Clayton moved to Venice, Florida, a few years after Clayton's retirement from Argonne National Laboratory in 1981. During nearly 35 years in Florida, she enjoyed social activities with Clayton's many cousins, reading, helping Clayton research and compile the Wells family genealogy, and playing parlor games like ""Hand & Foot"" and ""Rummikub"" with her grandchildren and neighbors. Margaret passed away peacefully of natural causes on July 22, 2019, at the age of 96. Margaret was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years Clayton H. Wells, her son David, daughter Karen W. Nelson, daughter Pamela M. Smith, brothers Earl Davis, Vernon Davis, and DeWitt Davis, and a half-sister, Marion B. Tosca. Margaret is survived by her two sons, Paul C. Wells (Gina) of Howell, Michigan, and Douglas H. Wells (Jill) of Suwanee, Georgia, 7 grandchildren, and 1 great grandchild. Service arrangements are pending.