Melissa Ann (Thomas) Davis Obituary

Melissa Thomas Davis, educator, activist, and beloved mother, passed away October 5, 2022 at her home in Weaverville, North Carolina, age 72. Born October 20, 1949 to Robert and Verzella (McKinney) Davis, Melissa grew up in Yancey County and served as Miss Mayland 1972. She graduated from Warren Wilson College and earned her MA in Education from Western Carolina University in 1974. In 1979 she married the love of her life, John Michael Davis, with whom she had one son, Michael.

Melissa devoted her life to education, first as a teacher in North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee and Pennsylvania, then as principal of her beloved Shafer Elementary School in Nazareth, Pennsylvania. She was a proud member of the Delta Kappa Gamma society for women educators.

In addition to her educational career, Melissa was a lifelong activist, marching for the ERA in the 1970s, against nuclear weapons in the 1980s, and later in life campaigning against overdevelopment and coal exploitation in southern Appalachia as well as marching for health care and women’s rights in Asheville. She served as president of the alumni board at Warren Wilson college for several years and enjoyed volunteering with her church, the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville.

Melissa is survived by her brothers David (Ruth) Thomas and Daniel (Sharon) Thomas, her sister Linda (Terry) Willis, her son Michael (Cori) Davis, and one grandson, Robert. A Celebration of Life service is planned for November 5, 2022 at 11am at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Asheville. In lieu of flowers, her family requests donations be made to Warren Wilson College or PBS North Carolina.