Although he finished only the 4th grade, Hezekiah Davis was an avid reader who taught his children and extended family by example. “He was a motivational person,” said his son, U. S. Rep. Danny K. Davis (D-Ill.), “tough, hardworking, no-nonsense, religious and a lot of fun to be around. He believed that yesterday was just a precursor to tomorrow.” Mr. Davis was proud that seven of his 11 children attended college, as well as his stepson and the nephews he helped raise when their father died. Mr. Davis, 93, a retired Arkansas farmer, died of pneumonia and blood clots in his lungs Thursday, Sept. 23, in a Virginia hospice. He was born in Alabama, but when his parents’ farm stopped producing, his family moved to Parkdale, Ark., to farm. It was there he met Mazzie Glass who attended the same church and became his wife in 1934. They raised their children on a farm in southeast Arkansas, near Dermott. Cotton was his main crop, but he also raised soybeans and corn. Early on, said his son, before the Civil Rights Act of 1964 outlawed the poll tax, Mr. Davis and his wife eagerly paid that fee to vote. He retired from farming about 20 years ago and joined a nearby social service agency where he was in charge of maintaining the 16 vans used by its day-care program and purchasing food for its cafeteria. He remained in Arkansas until he turned 87 when his children persuaded him to move to Illinois and live with one of his daughters in Hazel Crest. He attended a day program in town that “he just loved,” said his son. “He never missed it.” Constituents and colleagues became accustomed to seeing Mr. Davis by the congressman’s side during political meetings and banquets or in church. “When he visited on weekends, wherever I went, he went along.” His first wife died in 1981. A few years later, he married Armetha Stenerette, who preceded him in death. Other survivors include three daughters, Ceola Barnes, Barbara Nelson and Floretta Davis; three other sons, Bennie, Jesse and Willie; a stepson, Cedric Stenerette; 40 grandchildren;10 great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces and nephews. A memorial service will be held in Chicago at a later date.
