Vera Davis

Mrs. Vera Elizabeth Davis, age 91, went to be with her Lord and Savior on Friday, December 29,2017. She resided at Maple Lawn Medical Care in Coldwater, Michigan at the time of her death. Friday, December 29,2017 Vera was born in Newport, Rhode Island to James D. and Bertha E. (Frenzel) Neely. She was the youngest of four children. Brothers James and Frederick have preceded her in death. Her sister Marguerite "Rite" of Lakeland, Florida survives her. She had five children, seven grandchildren and many great grandchildren. During the war, Vera worked in the Torpedo Factory in Newport, Rhode Island doing clerical work keeping track of torpedo inventory. She left Rhode Island at age 18 and moved in with her cousin Harold Neely and his wife Olive in Chicago Illinois. There she got a clerical job with war related work. Vera met her husband Richard A. Aldrich through her cousin Bill Neely; they married in 1945 and lived in Chicago, Illinois. In 1955 the family moved to Coldwater, Michigan. She has four children which survive her: Richard Aldrich Jr. (Gloria) of Savannah Georgia, Stephanie Allen (Greg) of The Villages Florida, David Aldrich (Lawanda) of Vail, Ariona and Amy Smale (Ralph) of Coldwater Michigan. She was preceded in death by a son, James Aldrich (Cindy) of Springfield, Missouri. Vera became a Licensed Practical Nurse in 1974 and after her divorce retired to Lakeland FL to live a blessed life near her brother Jim and wife Annie and her sister Rite and husband Bill Hall. In Lakeland she met Sam Rogers whom she married in 1984. Tragically Sam died after five years of marriage. During this time the couple took cruises and many trips together. In 1990 Vera took an adventurous trip to Saudi Arabia and the Netherlands to visit her son Jim and wife Cindy where Jim was working. She documented the trip descriptively and eloquently in many letters to her friends and family. She described people and places and caught the essence of the culture with a beautiful enthusiasm. After being widowed for many years Vera met William Davis whom she married in 1992. They had a wonderful life together until his death in 1995. Vera, with her sister Rite, volunteered for 21 years at Lakeland Regional Medical Center where she received grateful acknowledgements of her service. She was also active in the Shepherd Road Presbyterian Church of Lakeland where she was part of the Compassion Team. She moved back to Michigan in 2008. Vera requested to be cremated and will be buried at Oak Grove Cemetery in Coldwater, Michigan; the town where she raised her children, belonged to a beloved bridge club and was a member of the First Presbyterian Church. A memorial service is being planned for a later date. Those wishing to offer expressions of sympathy are encouraged to make a memorial contribution to dementia research. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Vera Davis, please visit our flower store.