Phyllis Victoria Knauff Davis

Phyllis Victoria Knauff Davis, age 95, joined her Heavenly Father Friday, November 11, 2016, at home with her family by her side. She was born August 22, 1921 in Pekin, North Dakota. She was the only child of Victor Howard Knauff and Ida Sophia Stromme Knauff, who were the children of immigrants from Norway and Germany. Weighing only 2 pounds at birth, she was truly a miracle from God. Her childhood home was surrounded with acres of beautiful flowers and paths which people came from miles to see. After graduating from high school in Glyndon, Minnesota, she attended St. Johns Nursing School in Fargo and then joined the U S Army Corps as a 2nd Lieutenant. During her duty at Camp Wolters, Texas, she met an infantry officer who was to be her future husband. She joined the 43rd General Hospital Unit and was sent overseas to Oran, North Africa for 10 months. When she was through with her shift, she would visit with the wounded, talking, playing cards or helping write letters home. Next she was sent to Naples, Italy where J E was also stationed. They were married in the chapel on September 11, 1944. After honeymooning in Sorrento, they were separated when she was sent to France. While there, her hospital received 450 wounded soldiers in one single day during the Battle of the Bulge. She was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and earned two Battle Stars and received several commendations. When the war ended she was returned to the States and their first child Victor was born in the hospital she trained in. Phyllis resided in Gulfport since 1946, raising two more children, Jimmy and Phyllis Kay. Living on the coast, she enjoyed their boat, houseboat and camps and visiting friends and relatives from far away in their plane. She was on the bowling league and enjoyed playing cards with her friends including her best friend, Bert Lee Owen. She loved to cook and try out new recipes, saying that she would rather read a recipe book than a novel. Phyllis was a member of the Eastern Star Harmony Chapter 5. In later years she had fun traveling with their Gulf Coast Military Academy friends and especially enjoyed her mother/daughter only trip to the 25th Anniversary of Disney World. She never met a stranger and she touched everyone's heart with her love and kindness and her beautiful smile. She will live forever in the hearts of her family and friends. She is survived by her husband of 72 years, J E Davis Sr.; sons, Victor Arlington Davis and James Ethan Davis Jr. and wife Cherie; daughter, Phyllis Kay Levine and husband Stan; grandchildren, Summer Morgan and husband Shane, Jason Davis and wife Ashley, Candis Spruill and husband Michael, Brad Levine, Tommy Vervaeke and wife Diane, Dana Grimsley and husband Jason; great-grandchildren, Emily and Brayden Davis, Ethan and Addy Kate Spruill, Hadley Morgan, Bailey Levine, Hayley Vervaeke, Hunter, John and Rayne Kay Grimsley. The family wants to give special thanks to her loving caregiver of three years, Bree. In lieu of flowers the family prefers memorials be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, PO Box 96011, Washington DC, 20090 or to the Humane Society of South Mississippi, 2615 25th Avenue, Gulfport, MS 39501. Visitation will held on Monday, November 14, 2016 at Bradford-O’Keefe Funeral Home, 15th Street in Gulfport, from 9:00 a.m. until 10:00 a.m. A graveside service will follow at Biloxi National Cemetery at 11:00 a.m.