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Mrs. Eva Mae Elks Davis, age 87, a resident of Rocky Mount and a former long-time resident of Washington went home to be with the Lord, on Tuesday June 11, 2024, at UNC Nash Hospital in Rocky Mount.

A funeral service will be held 3:00 p.m. Saturday June 15, 2024, at Paul Funeral Home & Crematory of Washington officiated by Eddie Gurganus.  A burial will follow in Oakdale Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Stacey Davis, Jamie Lauren Davis, Ryan Hunter Davis, Riley Chase Davis, Linwood Weeks, and David Elks.  Honorary pallbearers will be Regan Shea Davis and Waylon Chase Davis.

The family will receive friends from 2:00 p.m. until the funeral hour Saturday at the funeral home.

Mrs. Eva was born in Beaufort County on December 7, 1936, the eldest of nine children of the late Isaac William Elks and the late Marjorie Mae Clark Elks Hodges.  She attended Washington High School.  On July 29, 1955, she married the love of her life, Sheriff Ottis Ellsworth “Red” Davis who preceded her in death on January 2, 1992.   Mrs. Eva worked as a sales associate at Belk’s of Washington and later as a caregiver.  Her belief in making the elderly’s final days more comfortable served as her personal ministry.  Mrs. Eva was a past member of the Choral Society; she had attended First Baptist Church of Washington and was a member of Woodard’s Pond Church of Christ.  During her illness, many have missed and will continue to miss Mrs. Eva’s country cooking.

A formidable woman of grace and wisdom, Eva was beloved by many, and well-known for her physical and spiritual strength. She was a beautiful, brilliant and generous lady, full of compassion.  She was known for welcoming others into her heart and her home. She had many varied occupations in her life, but throughout, she gave selflessly and spoke with a voice of clarity, insight and love. She cared not only for her five children, but often, for nieces and nephews. She was both a watch tower and a lighthouse to anyone who knew her.   She was a skilled cook, a devoted homemaker and a strong mother. She enjoyed reading, gardening and mysteries (on TV and in books). She had a curious intellect, and was an affable, easy learner, she was a born-again Christian whose unique personal gifts endeared her to others. Her actions throughout her life modeled love; not just for her family, but towards all those she encountered, no matter where from they came or when they came into her life.  She will be greatly missed.

Survivors include her children: Marjorie Davis of Greenville, James Laverne “Jimmy” Davis and his wife Leisa of Washington, Dee Anna Davis (Linwood Weeks) of Rocky Mount, Galen Derik Davis of Edenton; brothers: David Elks of Cary; sisters: Linda Tetterton of Washington, and Marlene Ingalls of Canton, GA; grandchildren: Stacey Davis and her husband Joey Clark of Fairfield, Jamie Lauren Davis of Fairfield, Ryan Hunter Davis and his wife Tori of Washington, and Riley Chase Davis (Rachel Vann) of Washington; and great grandchildren: Reagan Shea Davis and Waylon Chase Davis.  Mrs. Eva was predeceased, along with her parents, by a son: Glenn Eugene Davis; brothers: William Edward Elks, Alvin Leroy Elks, and Freddie Lee Elks; and sisters: Jo Anne Hodges and Betty Lou Cutler.

Flowers are welcome and appreciated and the family kindly asks that any memorial contributions be made to Beaufort County Humane Society, P.O. Box 33, Washington, NC 27889.

Online condolences may be offered to the family by visiting www.paulfuneralhome.com.

Paul Funeral Home & Crematory of Washington is honored to serve the Davis family.