Helen Burbank Davis, 93, passed peacefully in the comfort of her family at the home of her daughter, Ethel Montuori, of White River Junction on Wednesday, June 22, 2016.
Helen is survived by her daughter, Ethel Davis Montuori, her husband Dominick Montuori of White River Jct. and her son’s widow, Marsha Jennings Davis, of Duxbury. She is also survived by her grandchildren: Heather Montuori Hansen and husband, Kristoffer, of North Pomfret; Jennifer Davis Bombard and husband, Christopher, of Duxbury; Charles Davis and wife, Beth, of Duxbury; and Sarah Montuori of Arizona. Great-grandchildren include: Kyle and Lilia Hansen, Cheyenne Borthwick, Connor and Jordan Bombard, Daniel Beede, Logan, Natalie and Emmah Davis. She is also survived by several nieces and nephews. Helen was predeceased by her husband, Ralph Preston Davis; her son, Ralph Charles Davis; and her daughter, Gloria Ann Davis.
Helen was a member of several fraternal orders: Waterbury Grange #237, a state and national member; Washington County Farm Bureau; Congregational Church of Waterbury; Home Makers Club, League of Vermont Writers, local and state quilters and others.
She graduated from Johnson Teachers College in Johnson and taught all eight grades of public school until marriage. She then started the first kindergarten in her home and continued for many years, making all of her own playground equipment of a slide, swings, merry-go-round, teeter-board and their long classroom table and seats. Helen was invited to be on the NYC Radio Show to talk about her kindergarten. David Harvey, an alumnus of her kindergarten, created a surprise This Is Your Life show for Helen to recognize her as an important person in children's lives. Because she loved teaching so much, she led a Girls’ Club and a 4-H Girls’ Club teaching them sewing, baking and crafts and helped with her husband's boys 4-H club teaching woodworking and crafts. Helen also taught Sunday school and vacation bible school for many years.
Helen still found time for many community organizations. She was a local and state quilting member; a member of the Vermont Writer's Club; held offices in Grange; was the Washington County Home Economic leader; visited many granges giving help; took in Fresh Air children; and was asked to give several demonstrations, slide shows or talks for different organizations, schools and granges.
Helen had incredible talent and used it to create numerous masterpieces. She wrote manuscripts of all types of things over the years and was published in 98 different publications, the most recent were recipes, her original quilts and greeting cards. She worked on family genealogy. She entered her sewing, crafts, flowers, paintings, woodworking, glass etching, bobbin lace, tatting and more at Essex Fair for 51 years and over 25 years at Tunbridge Fair. She enjoyed birding and artwork in media of pencil, ink, oils, watercolor, pastels, etc. and exhibited at Fleming Museum, the Barre Sidewalk Show and different contests over the years. She enjoyed visiting nursing homes, sharing her food, flowers and small gifts. She loved photography work, developed her own films and made scrapbooks of her crafts and hobbies. She enjoyed reading religious books, many other books and magazines and then sharing them with relatives or nursing homes. She also wrote poetry. She had many pen pals around the world for years. She loved entertaining and sharing her love of baking, especially with those who dropped in. She published a cook book, Joy of Baking, with 2, 273 recipes and antidotes in 2011 for their 66th wedding anniversary and for all their relatives as gifts. Because she was losing more of her eyesight, she was unable to include two more of her file boxes of recipes.
Helen was chosen for two different years for Farm Woman of the Year for Washington County Farm Bureau. The Masonic Brothers of Winooski Lodge #49 F&AM and Mad River Lodge #77 F&AM recognized Helen’s life contributions in service for her fellow man and betterment of her community. Helen and her daughter, Gloria, were invited by Helen Workman and Across the Fence to show her crafts, kindergarten, recipes, etc.
Helen's pride was her family, husband and three children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and their accomplishments. She and her husband, Ralph Preston Davis, celebrated their 67th anniversary before he passed away. Ralph would brag to all about the 67 years. Helen loved playing and baking with her grandchildren. She always looked forward to the annual Burbank family reunion, which she started.
A service celebrating the life of Helen Burbank Davis will be held from the Waterbury Congregational Church on Wednesday, June 29, 2016, at 11 a.m. where friends and family may call for visitation from 10 a.m. until the hour of the service. A reception will follow in the church dining room. Inurnment will take place at the Graves Cemetery in Duxbury. To send online condolences, visit www.perkinsparker.com. Memorial contributions may be given to VT Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 10 Main Street, Montpelier, VT 05602 or to American Cancer Society, 121 Connor Way, Williston, VT 05495.
