Patricia I. Davis

July 12, 1947 - February 29, 2020

Patricia (Patsy) Irene Davis, 72, of Kearney NE passed away on Saturday, February 29 at Homestead Assisted Living in Kearney. A memorial service will be held 2:00 pm on Saturday, March 14, 2020 at O’Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral Home in Kearney. Patsy was born July 12, 1947 in El Dorado, Kansas to Ira and Marjorie (Wilson) Coons. Patsy was the middle child, with an older brother named Michael and a younger sister named Kathleen. When Patsy was still in her youth, the Coons family moved to Burns, Kansas, where she enrolled in the Peabody High School. There, she met the love of her life, Stephen (Steve) Davis. After the two graduated high school in 1965, they wed on August 27, 1967. Then Patsy and Steve furthered their education at Kansas State, where Patsy majored in Physical Science. Her favorite classes were meteorology, geology, and ornithology. Once Patsy and Steve graduated from Kansas State in 1969, they moved to Marion, Kansas, where Patsy worked as a Math and Science teacher and a Secondary Physical Science teacher. After five years, they decided to move north to Kearney, Nebraska in the summer of 1975. Patsy was able to find a position at Pleasant Hill elementary as a teacher for grades 4-6 until 1982. On January 10, 1985, Patsy and Steve welcomed home a baby boy named Matthew. While Steve returned to work, Patsy dedicated her time to take care of their child. Once Matthew was 6, Patsy decided to go back to something she loved still: teaching. She began working as a paraprofessional and as a media assistant for Kearney Public Schools from 1991 to 1995. While Patsy loved teaching, her passion was also strong for reading. In 2003, she started working at the Kearney Public Library, and played a large role in running the Bookmobile, which travels extensively through rural Nebraska helping children read and acquire books. She remained at the library for seven more years, retiring in 2010. Patsy had a kind and caring soul and was never far away from having a good laugh. Although she had many health complications, she never let those slow her down, and loved traveling the country with her husband and son. Though Patsy dedicated much of her life toward teaching younger generations, and sharing the love of books and reading, her greatest accomplishment in life was raising her son Matthew to be a strong and caring individual, and see her two grandchildren Wesley and Ivy develop into energetic young children. Patsy was reunited with her husband Steve in heaven, and they will remain together forever. Patsy lives on through the memories her brother Michael, her son Matthew, and her grandchildren Wesley and Ivy Davis share with loved ones. Memorials are suggested to the Kearney Public Schools Foundation. Condolences may be shared online at www.osrfh.com. Funeral services are entrusted to O'Brien Straatmann Redinger Funeral and Cremation Services.