Juanita Lee Davis

Surrounded by family in her home, Juanita Lee Davis made her journey to Heaven on February 17, 2026, at 7:20 in the evening. We are confident she was greeted by Jesus with open arms and was rejoicing to join her loved ones who were meeting her there.

Juanita was born in Jeffersonville, Ohio, at the Methodist Church parsonage where her grandfather ministered, to parents Thomas Bernard and Helen Heininger Bernard on August 20, 1933. Being raised on a farm near Sabina, Ohio, Juanita’s love for horses blossomed, and she started her flock of Shropshire sheep, winning many awards at both the state and county levels. She attended school in Sabina, where she met the love of her life, Edsel Davis, in 1949. Both Juanita and Edsel graduated from Sabina High School in 1951, and the two were married on July 23, 1953.

Juanita pursued her passion for education at Wilmington College and devoted herself to fulfilling a 31-year career as a teacher, mainly teaching third grade at Sabina Elementary School. She touched many students’ lives, helping them to form a firm foundation. In 1957, Juanita and Edsel began farming on Peele Road, just down from her childhood home. She resided on Peele Road the majority of her life until she moved to her retirement home at Cape May in Wilmington, Ohio, in 2022.

Juanita was a lifelong member of Richland (Melvin) Church, where she belonged to the Women’s Society group. She was an avid supporter of 4-H, having been a youth member herself and winning a National Achievement Award. Juanita and Edsel were both advisors of the A-OK 4-H Club in Fayette County for many years. She could be found at the Fayette County Fair each July, watching and cheering on both her children and grandchildren. She enjoyed belonging to the Farm Bureau Council with neighboring farm families, making lifelong friendships.

Gardening was a favorite hobby. It can only be estimated that she canned thousands of quarts of green beans and tomato juice and froze just as many quarts of sweet corn. Juanita made the best home-cooked meals, especially chicken and noodles, for her family and the baler boys in the summer. According to her grandchildren, she made the most delicious chocolate milkshakes and root beer floats that she served frequently to them after school. She spent hours reading the Bible, her favorite books, Ohio’s Country Journal, the local newspaper, and her most favorite – reading to her grandchildren.

An avid sports fan, Juanita spent countless hours watching college basketball and cheering on her favorite teams: the Cincinnati Reds, the Cincinnati Bengals, and The Ohio State Buckeyes. Juanita’s biggest accomplishment was raising, loving, comforting, advising, and supporting her family. Her wisdom was priceless. She was very proud of her children and grandchildren, always being present at all of their events and celebrations. They truly were her sunshine. The love and adoration her family had for her is what made her most happy.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 50 years, Edsel; brother and sister-in-law, James and Sharon Bernard; and brothers-in-law, Carl Gilmore and Ralph Davis Jr.

She is survived by four children, Cindy (Gene) Oleynik, Mark Davis, Diane (Gilbert) Zwoll, and Natasha (Michael) Black; grandchildren, Justin Davis, Tristan (Beth Holzer) and Calvin Oleynik, Jeremy (Shannon) Haynes, Austin (Kori) Zwoll, Lydia (Brandon) Longenecker, and Drew Black; great-grandchildren, Kylie Davis, and Wyatt and Betty Haynes; sister, Alma Faye Gilmore; sisters-in-law, Ella Nunley, Barbara (John) Kuehn, and Mary Davis; very special friends, Jim and Ruth Everhart; and many nephews, nieces, and cousins.

Memorial contributions would be appreciated to Richland (Melvin) Global Methodist Church (C/O Faye Gilmore, 3899 N State Route 72, Sabina, OH 45169) or Fayette County 4-H-with memo In Memory of Juanita Davis, OSU Extension-Fayette County, 1415 US Route 22 SW, Suite 100Washington Court House, Ohio 43160.  

Services are to be held on Saturday, February 28, 2026, at Richland Global Methodist Church, 52 Melvin Road, Wilmington, Ohio. Visitation will be from 1:00pm-3:00pm, when a Celebration of Life service will begin. Private burial at Milledgeville Plymouth Cemetery will be held at the convenience of the family. Littleton Funeral Home, Sabina, has been entrusted with arrangements.