Nana Davis, teacher, wife, mother and great friend

NANA Davis passed away in hospital on Thursday, January 26 suddenly as a result of a strep A infection.

The shock has stunned her family and all her friends. It was far too soon.

Diana Pirie (Nana) was born in Johannesburg, followed later by her younger sister Dale.

She went to school and grew up in Port Elizabeth. It was by chance that she met a certain Paul Davis in Johannesburg on a mulled wine-fuelled blind date and, despite or maybe because of the wine, they hit it off immediately.

Their long distance relationship blossomed, mostly by letter as Paul was living in Johannesburg and Nana in Durban at that time.

Meeting up was difficult but such was their love that they married only six months later in Durban in December 1973.

They started married life in Durban, where Nana had started teaching again after three years travelling in Europe before meeting Paul.

The couple emigrated from South Africa and moved to the UK in 1998, renting Wellers Cottage in Crazies Hill as their first base here.

Their children, Kim, who was 12 at the time, went to the Piggott School and eight-year-old Gary attended Crazies Hill School and then the Piggott.

Many friendships were started in and around this small community which have stood the test of time.

Nana taught at Crazies Hill before moving to a school in Ascot, finally ending up teaching at Inglewood Educational Day Nursery in Sonning.

Wonderfully, she had a way of keeping in touch with the parents and children that she had taught and even in some cases their children’s children.

Her legacy, if indeed we should need to look for one, can be found somewhere in the heartbeat of the generations of children she influenced over so many years.

The Davises moved from Crazies Hill to Twyford and finally to a lovely house in Earley, where they have been for the last 10 years.

Nana, or Diana to some, embraced her retirement from teaching at Inglewood with her usual vigour.

There was time for her friends and a multitude of different activities, so many things to do, including zumba, various coffee shops, bridge, book club and the theatre, especially the Mill at Sonning and the Watermill at Bangor, Newbury, but going to London was often on the agenda.

Among all this there was time for Cockpole Green WI, where she was on the committee, becoming secretary and later minutes secretary for more than one president, ably supported by Paul on his trusty computer.

She and Paul were married for nearly 50 years and for that life of commitment I am sure there would have been a celebration.

Unbelievably, Nana was approaching her 80th birthday this year and for both these events the odd glass of wine would have been partaken.

Her friends were her rock, her happy place, and she embraced us all with her hilarious happenings as well as moments of sadness.

She was a life force, an energy to be reckoned with, and we already perceive the empty space where she once took her place among us.

Nana is survived by her husband Paul, daughter Kim and her partner Simon, son Gary and his partner Zara and grandchildren Immiy, Gregory and Ophelia.

She had a lovely family and wide circle of wonderful friends and she loved life.

Nana will be so greatly missed by us all, more than these few words can express. We can only say that our thoughts and prayers are with the family and all her friends at this sad and difficult time.

A celebration of Nana Davis’s life will be held at St Mary’s Church, Wargrave, on Friday, March 3, from noon or at 12.45pm in the church centre. Those attending are asked to wear colourful accessories.

Dick Bush