Ann Davis
She cared for Chilliwack
Ann Thompson Marshall was born June 13, 1897 at Newstevenson, Scotland and
came to Canada with her parents in April of 1912. The family sailed aboard the
S.S. Scotian one of the several ships that received, but was too far away
to respond to, the SOS call of the R.M.S. Titanic.
The family settled at Kamloops, where she met and married widower Charles
Edmond Davis. The couple came to Chilliwack in 1919, with four children from his
previous marriage: Gavin, John, Jim and Jean. Following their arrival in
Chilliwack the couple had two more children, Jeanette and Dorothy.
Raising six children through the Depression years of the 1930's meant "even
the busiest of people became conscious of the growing need around them and calls
for help had to answered regardless."
And answer they did. A "Community Portrait" on Mrs. Davis in the
Chilliwack Progress of November 12, 1952, describes how she was one of a
number of women who "realized that a better method of distribution (of relief
aid) must be arranged to avoid duplication." A number of local church groups,
service clubs, and the Chilliwack Women's Institute got together in 1928 to form
the Chilliwack Community Chest. Among those providing leadership for this new
group were Ann Davis, Carrie Kent, Harrison Lowther and Olive France.
Minutes for the Community Chest record the first meeting held in the Gilbert
Block on December 3, 1928, with Mrs. Gibson in the Chair, and Mr. Graham as
secretary. The first motion made at that inaugural meeting, by Mr. Murray and
seconded by Mrs. Brett, was "that a fund be opened through the Press to look
after the Centralization of Distribution of Hamper (sic) etc. during the
Christmas season.
Minutes of that first meeting record "Mrs. Davis to be in charge of Clothing
Committee consisting at present of "herself". Her task was to gather and
distribute "good used clothing and see that people who need it would get the
right things." Their family home on Brooks Avenue "was the original drop-off
point for clothing and was a distribution point for Christmas hampers."
For her years of dedication and service to the community Ann Davis was
recognized as the first "Woman of the Year" in September of 1957. The award,
given by the Chilliwack Business and Professional Women's Club, was part of
Business and Professional Women's Week. The theme for the week was "Salute to
women who work".
An article describing the award appeared in The Progress on September
25, 1957. D.H.H. Lowther, president of the Community Chest stated "the
organization had its chairman, its secretary and its treasurer, but the
Community Chest IS Mrs. Davis. She had brought it from small beginnings by
distribution of a few Christmas hamper" to the point in 1957 where they
functioned on a full-time basis with an annual budget of $4000.00. After years
of struggling to raise sufficient resources, Mrs. Davis gave credit to the
"Community Portrait" on her in The Progress in 1952 for their turn in
fortune.
At the time of the award she commented that "her efforts were more than
recompensed by seeing some of the high school students graduate who would never
have been able to start had it not been for suitable clothing and money made
available to them through the Community Chest."
The Ann Davis Transition House was named in her honour in 1981. By 1986 the
"confidentially located home for battered women" provided shelter for "201 women
and children."
Her husband Charles Edmond Davis was a building contractor in Chilliwack for
many years. He passed away on November 13, 1974. Ann Thompson Davis passed away
on December 20, 1987 after nearly 70 years of compassionate service to the
people of her community.
Excerpts taken from "Chilliwack Museum and Archives article
for The Chilliwack Progress. April 28, 2002 By-line: Kelly Harms, Community
Archivist.
