Never A Dull Moment For Mother Of Eight | News, Sports, Jobs

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Photos by Heather Ziegler
Anna Marie Davis is busy making yet another Notre Dame-themed vest for a new family member.

WHEELING — Anna Marie Davis, a native of Bellaire and current resident of the Welty Home for The Aged in Wheeling, has never let grass grow beneath her feet. Truth be told, she didn’t and still doesn’t have time.

As a mother of six sons and two daughters, grandmother to six grandsons and a host of great-grandchildren now and in the future, Davis claims not to have any secrets to living for more than nine decades other than staying busy. And busy she remains today at the age of 97.

Perhaps her upbringing in Bellaire with her own six brothers prepared her for her own large brood and active life. “We went to school at St. John’s in Bellaire. In those days, there weren’t many sports for girls, but I played one basketball game. My brothers made their own poles, and I did pole vault with them,” Davis recalled.

When asked whether she ever experienced being off from school due to winter snow, Davis laughed. She explained that in the small school building where she attended classes, the building was heated with a stove. If the caretaker at the school failed to get the building heated properly during cold weather, the inkwells at their desks would freeze. “We only got to go home if the inkwells froze,” Davis said.

In high school, a girlfriend introduced her to her future husband Ed Davis, who escorted her to a school dance. “My mom insisted on making me a dress for the dance. She was always sewing something. I told her I wasn’t going to the dance because I didn’t have a date. Then my girlfriend told me Ed wanted to take me. And that was that,” Davis said with a smile.

Skip ahead a few years, and Anna and Ed were married on Aug. 6, 1949, which also is her birthday. “We had a Catholic High Mass ceremony with three priests at St. John’s,” she added.

“Eddy,” as she called her husband, supported their growing family by working as a lineman for Ohio Power. Davis said she worried about her husband especially during severe storms. “Once he was injured and got stuck in a bucket truck. They had to turn off all the power in Shadyside to get him down,” she said.

The challenges of having a family of eight children didn’t deter Anna and Eddy from giving their kids some fun and wonderful memories. She said they would pile the family into their station wagon and drive all night to Myrtle Beach. Another family would join them on vacation and there would be more than two dozen children in all to feed and monitor at the beach.

Despite all the work that went into raising her family, Davis also maintained friendships in her community. She joined a bridge club in 1945 and played well into her later years.

Davis’ niece Peggy Keys of Wheeling said her aunt was a wonderful cook and often invited her and other family members to sit around an already crowded dinner table. She spent 95 years of her life in Bellaire and recalls going to Gulla’s restaurant and other popular spots. Since the passing of Eddy, Davis has made her home at the Welty Home where she continues to amaze her family members and staff.

Keys noted that her aunt is a member of the weekly Dear Neighbors Knitting Club at Mount St. Joseph where she shares her passion for knitting and crocheting with other family members including niece Sara “Sally” Blizzard. Blizzard said her aunt was responsible for teaching her how to knit. She noted that there is always room for more participants and urges others to contact Mount St. Joseph to learn more. The group meets each Tuesday.

“Anna Marie makes these adorable Notre Dame-themed vests for the littlest of the new grandchildren and great-grandchildren,” Peggy Keys said.

Prior to the COVID pandemic, Davis would go swimming at the Four Seasons Pool in Moundsville and enjoyed going out for lunch and dinner at The Highlands. She now has begun enjoying more outings again since those days of pandemic isolation have waned.

Holidays were always special for Davis and her family. She said they would always get together to celebrate Christmas, however as the family grew, plans were altered. With so many family members here and there, they would have their celebrations the Saturday before Dec. 25.

Today, Davis is determined to remain close to her widening family, thanks to modern technology. She has acquainted herself with the ins and outs of a cell phone, Facebook and Instagram. Davis is also thankful for the staff at the Welty Home for their great care and making her feel at home.

Does she have any plans of slowing down? The answer would be a resounding “No.” For example, last December when a physician encouraged her to take it easy after a visit to his office, Davis said she had to get back to Welty in time for play practice. Each year at Christmas time, the residents of the Welty Home put on a holiday play, and Davis did not want to miss her chance to take part. And she didn’t.

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