Obituary Linda (Barbara) Davis October 9, 2015

Linda (Barbara) Davis, of Santa Paula, passed away peacefully in her sleep on Friday, October 2nd, with her husband Frank by her side. She was 73 years old.

Linda was a life long Santa Paula resident. She was born on the 24th of December in 1942, an early Christmas gift to her loving parents. She graduated from Santa Paula High School in 1960 and then continued on to Ventura College, where she received her Associates degree. She started her secretarial career working for Margaret Keller, a local attorney, at the young age of 20. From there she moved to Glen City Elementary School, where she remained for numerous years. After leaving Glen City, she returned to working as a legal secretary for Bruce Young, a job that she always thought highly of. She continued working for various attorneys who cycled through the practice, while also becoming a notary public. She finished her 50 year working career as attorney Ben Schuck’s legal secretary, finally retiring at the age of 70.

Linda had an exceptional love for her family. She enjoyed Chumash casino adventures with her husband Frank and with her Dad and Brother, all of them continually jealous of how lucky she was on those slots! She had an amazing skill in her ability to bake. Two traditions that stood out were her Christmas breads and special occasion apple pies. During Christmas she would always bake homemade panettone bread and cinnamon swirl bread. She lovingly passed on the cinnamon bread tradition to her niece Lora, years ago, who continued on that tradition for the family Christmas. Her apple pies were one of a kind, with homemade crust and freshly cut apples. Her husband Frank was her loyal apple peeler and assistant. No holiday was complete without that delicious pie. She was a talented gift wrapper. She made sure every single gift was wrapped just for the person in mind, with an individualized sticker, unique tissue, ribbon and tag, all specially picked and presented for whoever it was intended for. Linda had a love for crafting, something that took precedent after her retirement. She now had the time to really spend learning, practicing and fine tuning her felt work, making wreathes, signs, and other beautiful, special things for her close family and friends. After marrying Frank, she fell in love with his home state of New Hampshire. They would travel there yearly, where she would simply let go from the stress of life and enjoy the simple things and the slow life that she found there. The appearance of the Fall foliage was by far her favorite time of year. She enjoyed trips to Lake Winnipesaukee, the annual Sandwich Fair and just the simple sights, smells and sounds of the wildlife and the beautiful nature that New Hampshire had to give. It truly became her second home away from home. One more of Linda’s passions worth mentioning was her love of time spent in her flower garden. Amongst the varieties, Roses stand out among her favorite to grow. She loved the smell that they gave and they reminded her daily of the family that was of upmost importance to her. In her own words, “When the roses bloom, I shall be reminded of the family I love so much.” And that they did.

Linda was a kind, loving, openly caring and extremely generous woman. Her smile was one of the first things that you noticed, it would light up any room and would last the entire time. Her positivity was inspiring and motivational, she never had a negative thing to say about anyone or anything. She was unconditionally giving towards others, even giving her niece and nephew an allowance from every paycheck while she worked, merely because she wanted to. She loved children and would immediately get down to their level, playing dolls, coloring or taking part in imaginary play, enjoying every minute of it. One of the most important things she leaves behind of her personality are her “Linda letters”. Her ability to write her thoughts and feelings down on paper were beyond what words can describe. This was shown in the personalized notes and cards that she would write to family, friends and anyone who touched her heart in some way. No birthday, special occasion, holiday or important life moment went by without a specially chosen and hand written card, delivered by mail, from Linda herself. Her lasting words to those that received them will forever live on.

Linda was preceeded in death by her Mother, Frances Villa; her father, Joe Villa; and her brother, Robert J. Villa. Linda is survived by her husband, Frank Davis, whom she lovingly referred to as her “Duende”; step mother, Alex Villa; sister in law, Carol Villa; nephew Patrick Villa (wife Arlene); great nephews Buddy and PJ Villa and great niece Maya Villa; niece Lora Villa Blackshear (husband Eric); great nephew Reece Blackshear; Sister and brother in law Diane and Josh Bartlett;  nephew Fred Hacker (wife Sue); great nephews Robert, Duncan and Ian Hacker and Tyler Noone; niece Julie Broussard (husband Tom) and grand niece Alyson.

The family would like to thank the hospice of VITAS Healthcare, Linda’s caregiver Jeanie Vasquez, who gave her personal, caring and loving touch to Linda and to Frank while Linda was home and a special thanks to Dr. Deutsche and his personalized care towards Linda till the very end.