Elizabeth "Betty" Davis, a longtime resident of Calais, passed away Thursday, October 18, 2018. Betty was born on August 30, 1923, in Winfield, Kansas. Her parents, Frank and Alice Herriott, both originally from the Winfield area, made a special trip from New York City to Kansas so Betty would be born in Winfield. She grew up in New York City near Union Theological Seminary where her father taught. One of her greatest pleasures was roller skating around the block, opening her coat to the wind so she could "sail" along the sidewalk. She graduated from Bennington College in Bennington and later earned a masters degree in social work from Simmons College in Boston. It was during a religious retreat in 1940 on the Isle of Shoals off the coast of New Hampshire that she met Forest Davis. From then on, they saw each other off-and-on and kept in touch through letters. In 1945, while serving in the Philippine Islands, Forest had his mother give Betty her engagement ring. When Forest returned from Japan in the summer of 1946 they were married in the yard of her parents farm in Rhinebeck, N.Y. They spent the first few years of their marriage in Cambridge, Mass., where Forest attended the doctoral degree program at Harvard University. Betty was a caseworker for the "Home for Little Wanderers." They moved to Plainfield in 1951 when Forest got a job in the Admissions Department at Goddard College. They lived right across from the college and cherished great views of Spruce Mountain. Betty took a job in Burlington with Child and Family Services and made many daily treks to Burlington in a surplus Army Jeep that Forest had purchased so they could be a two-car family. In 1953 they purchased their longtime home in Calais next to the Old West Church. Named the "Red House," they lived there for over 50 years. When they bought it, there was no heat and no running water. Betty made daily trips to the end of the field to get water from the spring until Forest dug a 100-yard water line that provided water to the house. Betty took a job with Washington County Mental Health in the early 1970s and worked there until she retired. She was an active member of the Unitarian Church in Montpelier where she volunteered at many different events. Betty and Forest were loyal members of the Adamant Co-op, helping to sustain it through some very lean years. They were also involved in the early years of the Calais Old West Church Christmas Eve services. The choir practiced in their living room by the fireplace and the unusually large Christmas tree. In the same season, Betty invited neighborhood children to the house to learn how to make gingerbread houses and Christmas cookies. Betty was also active with Habitat for Humanity. She enjoyed making quilts and made one or two a year. She spent hours at her sewing machine sewing very small pieces together according to a plan she had painstakingly drawn on paper. Perhaps it was her Kansas roots that made Betty a determined person. She and Forest went on month-long tenting vacations across the country with four children. She hiked part of the Long Trail with three recalcitrant teenagers in the early 1970s. She visited the family home site in Kansas and camped out there for a number of days. Just when you thought there was nothing to eat in the house she would whip up a great meal out of the pantry. Her homemade biscuits still have many faithful family followers. Betty was a voracious reader. It was not unusual to see her lights on at 2 a.m. while she finished a book. She also read the newspaper every day, eventually doing so online. She had a keen interest in politics and she was always using her intellect and skills whether on current events, quilts, or puzzles. She passed away comfortably and peacefully after a short stay at Woodridge Rehabilitation and Nursing in Berlin. Her final wish was to be with Forest again who predeceased her in 2008. Betty is survived by four children: Margo Davis Kelley of Stowe; William Davis of Calais; Charles "Sam" Davis of Essex, and Katharine Davis of Montpelier. She is also survived by three grandchildren: Alicia Kelley Raymond, Justin Kelley, Emily Davis, and one great-granddaughter, Nevarra Raymond. A celebration of life will be held 2:00 pm on Sunday, November 18, 2018 at the Unitarian Church in Montpelier. There will be a reception following downstairs in the Church Vestry Donations can be made to: The Montpelier Unitarian Church