Janice Pryde Davies was born in Washington, D.C., June 27, 1928. She was educated in the city's public schools and graduated from Miner Teacher's College, now the University of the District of Columbia. After finishing at Miner, she continued her education at New York University and the University of Virginia.

A talented and eager educator — and a Master Teacher — she taught fifth and sixth grades in Washington for 12 years, instructing at both Zachary Taylor and J.O. Wilson elementary schools. When integration came to the area, she was selected as a pilot teacher for the newly integrated Joe Barnard Elementary School, where she left an indelible mark on each of her students.

During that time, she met, and in 1954, married Lawrence A Davies, then a divinity student. Meanwhile, Janice's distinguished work led to her being offered an educational fellowship in Europe. She was, however, unable to accept the offer, as the family was preparing to move to Fredericksburg, Virginia, where Lawrence had been called to pastor the historic Shiloh Baptist Church (Old Site).

After their early 1962 move to Fredericksburg, she embraced her new community — and the community, in turn, embraced her. Their family soon grew to include three daughters: Lauren, Karen and Sharron.

Mrs. Davies had planned to continue her teaching in Virginia, but after her two older daughters were diagnosed with Sickle Cell Anemia, those plans changed.

When Lauren, their oldest child, was disabled by a series of strokes, Mrs. Davies made the decision to be a full-time caregiver. Nevertheless, she continued her passion for teaching as a homebound instructor for pregnant teens, enabling them to continue to pursue both their educations and their dreams.

She likewise headed a Girl Scout Troop for ten years, a troop that had the double distinction of being both the largest and the only African American Girl Scout troop in Fredericksburg.

Mrs. Davies' commitment to education and to the encouraging of students continued as she served as a founding member and tutor with a community-wide program called REACH (Rendering Educational Assistance with Community Help). She served as a Rainbow Reader and as a Breakfast Buddy at Hugh Mercer Elementary School.

She also turned her attention to her community, serving as a volunteer in many capacities. As with education, her community involvement was carried out with dedication and a commitment to excellence.

Her work earned her great distinction, the impact of her efforts often rippling through many overlooked corners of the community. Her 40 years of service with the American Cancer Society led to two Volunteer of the Year recognitions. And her 41 years of devoted service with the Fredericksburg Area Sickle Cell Association, which she co-founded and shepherded, included two Parent of the Year recognitions.

All this was accomplished in addition to managing her household and helping her husband in his busy pastoral and civic career.

Family was always priority, which resulted in Janice also extending her care-giving to other family members, including her father, her mother, and her mother-in-law. The Davies' three daughters were likewise reared with encouragement to set realistic goals, to work hard to accomplish those goals, and to show the same sense of caring for others demonstrated by their parents.

Mrs. Davies was a loving, supportive wife, mother, and grandmother. She was a devoted daughter and sister, a steadfast friend, and a good neighbor. She exemplified the "Virtuous Woman" described in Proverbs 31:25. She faced adversity and obstacles "clothed in strength and dignity and she laughed without fear of the future."

Loved by many and adopted by even more, Janice Pryde Davies was the quintessential "mother figure" for the entire community: tastefully and stylishly dressed, caring and concerned for others, spirited with both a quick wit and an easy sense of humor.

Janice Davies died peacefully in her Fredericksburg home on March 20, 2024, treasuring the deep faith and Christian vision that had sustained her for 95 years.

She is survived by her husband, the Rev. Lawrence A. Davies; her daughter, Sharron Davies Jeffrey (Martin); her son-in-law, Kevin Ward; her grandchildren, Kevin and Alyssa Ward, Ezekiel, Broderick, Jessica, and Cedric Jeffrey; her niece Deirdre Pryde; her nephews, James W. Pryde Jr. (Gayle) and Norman Pryde (Tia); and a host of cousins, great grandchildren, great nieces, great nephews, and other beloved relatives.

She was preceded in glory by her father, James T. Pryde; her mother, Bernice B. Pryde; her brothers, Thomas C. Pryde and James W. Pryde; and her daughters, Lauren A. Davies and Karen M. Ward.

Mrs. Davies loved gardening, reading, singing, golf, baseball, basketball, fishing, and the arts — including plays, live theater, music of many genres, especially hymns — painting, graphic design, poetry, and writing.

She was quoted as saying, "God blessed me with the gift of creativity. I take great pride in my abilities to plan, organize, and help implement new programs." She loved to create, focusing especially on solution-based initiatives.

The Home Missions Committee, a ministry of Shiloh Old Site that celebrated 60 years of service last May, grew to 27 different outreach ministries under her chairmanship.

She was also instrumental in the establishment of the Shiloh Wellness Center, now known as the Community Wellness Coalition, whose programming included wellness activities, health and history education, and personal enrichment components. The organization fostered unity and reduced redundancy of effort by various individual fellowships and lay groups.

For more than 20 years, she also served as a spiritual anchor — and gentle encourager ­— at Shiloh Old Site's Tuesday morning Bible studies.

Her quiet activism in multiple ecumenical, health care, and historical arenas has been felt well beyond the borders of the city.

Through her gift of writing, she educated, motivated, and activated change while promoting intergenerational participation. She wrote letters, solicited grants, and submitted articles, including numerous communications to facilitate active participation in the planning of city developments adjacent to her beloved church and the removal of propane tankers from Mayfield's adjacent railroad tracks.

Through her efforts, two "dinner theater" productions came to life. She also provided the conceptual development and the actual writing of significant portions of a play exploring important aspects of Shiloh Old Site's history for the 150th anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation. With participation by many in the congregation, the play was produced to a large audience as part of a citywide celebration called "Churches Remember."

Her love of history spurred her to initiate and implement the organization and preservation of historical documents by the Archive Committee at Shiloh Baptist Church (Old Site), which remains an ongoing project. She was also instrumental in research that secured the church's designation as a state and national historic landmark.

In addition, there are few in the city who were not touched by Mrs. Davies' ministry of cards, beautifully handwritten, compassionate, encouraging messages flowing from her heart into the homes of many.

Despite her many activities and involvements, she never sought nor expected any awards or recognition. She was motivated by a true depth of caring.

Numerous organizations, however, repeatedly recognized the impact of her ministry. Of note, WJLA-7, who selected her from 250 nominees as one of "Seven Who Care." She received the Woman of Distinction Award from the Commonwealth Girl Scouts, the Virginia Association of Ministers' Wives and Ministers' Widows Humanitarian Award, as well as recognitions from Delta Sigma Theta, Omega Psi Phi, Soroptimist International, Woman's Club of Fredericksburg, Mary Washington Healthcare, NAACP, and Statewide Sickle Cell Chapters of Virginia.

Through public speaking, she shared a positive vision of encouragement and strength, having been selected as a keynote speaker for the Women's Forum, the opening ceremonies of the Women's Resource Center, and for eleven years as part of the Shiloh Old Site Women's Retreat.

As an educator, writer, speaker, activist, caregiver, and mentor, this "Quiet Storm" of creative activity continues to impact all those she touched in her community.

She sends forward a legacy that proves that we each have the power to make constructive change through personal engagement and intentional contribution.

We are thankful to God for Janice Pryde Davies' bright example of faith, truth, and love. May we all follow in her path.

A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 6, 2024, at Shiloh Baptist Church (Old Site), Fredericksburg, VA. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Fredericksburg Area Sickle Cell Association and the Janice Pryde Davies Scholarship via the link https://shiloholdsite.org/scholarships/ or https://onrealm.org/shiloholdsite/-/form/give/special .