Rosella Marie Davis

Rosella “Rose” Marie Davis was effervescence personified, filled with spirit, ceaseless energy, a desire to know everything about life, love, and happiness. When she passed away suddenly on Saturday, June 18, the world became a much less joyful place. She was 67.

Rose was born in Knoxville, Tennessee, on November 19, 1954, to Mary and William E. Davis Jr.  She was the fifth of their seven children, but mothered them all, especially her brothers, William III, Ronald, Stanford, Stephen and Theodore.  Her older sister, Sylvia, preceded her in death.

In 1975, Rose married Larry Ellis Sr., a union that lasted 17 years. The biggest joys of her life were their two sons, Larry Darnell Ellis Jr. and Lloyd Prentice Ellis. Larry, a brilliant mathematician, was a gentle and affectionate bear of a man, loved and admired by all who met him.  In 2012, after a brief illness, he was called home by God’s angels, leaving a huge hole in Rose’s heart. For the next decade, she devoted  even more to her younger son, Lloyd, an acclaimed audio engineer and production manager, and his wife, Caroline, and two children, Claire Darnella Ellis and Baine Anthony Duncan. 

Rose often quoted scripture, sharing her love for the Bible, and reminded them she was never more than a phone call or text away. She wanted others to know her hope was in the Lord.

After graduating from Bearden High School in 1972, Rose moved to Minneapolis, where she earned an associate of arts degree in sociology from the University of Minnesota.  Her oldest brother, known by his siblings as Edward, helped her get a job at Northwestern Bell, in the same building where he worked. Most of her working career stemmed from that first job with the phone company.  From 1988 to 2008, she held various management positions for US West, Northwestern Bell, and QWest, including corporate trainer, mentor, and manager in sales. Her enthusiasm, intelligence and business acumen made her a rising star.  She knew how to bring out the best in people. 

After leaving Qwest’s offices in Omaha in 2008, Rose became a traveling senior trainer for CenturyLink, based in Utah, a job she held until 2016. When her mother, Mama Mary, needed more full-time health care, Rose moved to “The Farm” in Louisville, Tennessee, to care for her until her death in 2020 at age 92. 

 In addition to her brothers, survivors include her “sisters-in-love”:  Liane (William), Maxine (Ronald), Alecia (Stanford), Tanya (Stephen) and Sheila (Theodore); favorite nieces and nephews: William Davis IV, Max Davis, Ronald Davis Jr., Renee Kelly (Todd Sr.). Khary Thompson (Christina), April Denine Chandler, Douglas Chandler Jr., Herbert Jerome “Jay” McMillan (Melanie), Stanford Davis Jr., Corey Jarmon (Jennifer), Rod Young (Sanura), Steve Davis Jr.(Timbala), Jessica Ashley Davis (Terrance), Angel Attawia (Akie), Joshua Davis (Jondra), David Davis, William Jacob Davis (Hala), Tabitha Davis, Jenny Davis and Courtney Davis; and dozens of great-nieces and great-nephews.  

“Pleasant words are as a honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.” Proverbs 16:24 KJV

Saturday, June 25, 2022, the family will receive friends from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with a Celebration of Life to follow at Mount Olive Baptist Church, 1601 Dandridge Avenue, Knoxville, TN, Reverend Jesse Williams, Pastor,  Robert H. Sherrod, Eulogist. In lieu of flowers, Rose’s family requests donations in her honor to The Gideons International, which distributes more than 70 million Bibles annually. Professional arrangements entrusted to Patton Funeral Home, Brian L. Buckmon, LFD 1-800-824-8283 or www.pattonfuneralhome1962.com

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