March 8, 1925 – June 9, 2020

A “bundle of energy” was one of the ways friends and co-workers described Viola “Vi” Mary Busse Davis, longtime Jacksonville resident, businesswoman, and volunteer who passed away June 9, 2020. For years, Vi was known as a Jacksonville “go-to person.”

Born in Seguin, Texas on March 8, 1925, to Erwin and Lena Busse, Vi was the oldest of five children. She worked at the local five and dime store during her years at Alice, Texas High School. When she graduated in 1943, she boarded a bus for Alameda, California, to join her sweetheart, Woodrow “Woodie” Davis, who was working in the shipyards. They had to wait “three long days” between blood tests, a marriage license, and the ceremony. The marriage lasted for the next 40 years until Woodie’s death in 1984.

Children soon followed: Letha (Lee) in 1944, twins Mary and Betty in 1946, son Joe in 1948, and daughter Frances (Fran) in 1950. Once Fran was out of diapers, Vi went to work for Bank of America. When the family relocated to Jacksonville, Oregon, in 1955, she joined U.S. Bank. She retired in 1987 after 31 years, having spent the last 19 years as Assistant Manager and then Manager of U.S. Bank’s Jacksonville branch.

In a 2007 interview, Vi recalled when the bank first opened its Jacksonville branch in 1965 after retrofitting the U.S. Hotel building. “I have never seen as much snow in Jacksonville as I did that January. We had to get a snowplow from Medford to get the snow out of the street so people could get into town for our grand opening. It was a wonderful opening—three days of celebration!”

During her career, Vi became heavily involved in the American Business Women’s Association, attending conferences and conventions throughout the U.S.—and adding a charm to her bracelet for each event. The Crater Charter Chapter named her Woman of the Year in 1972; the Applegate Trail Chapter repeated the honor in 1978. She was instrumental in bringing the Northwest Regional meeting of ABWA to Southern Oregon for which the Medford Boosters made her their Booster of the Year in 1983.

Vi married again in 1986 to Norman “Jeff” Jeffreys but when Jeff died seven years later after Vi retired from U.S. Bank, she turned her talents, time, and energy to the community. She served as an officer of the Jacksonville Chamber of Commerce, the Jacksonville Boosters Club, the Jacksonville City Budget Committee, the Jacksonville Garden Club, the Jacksonville Presbyterian Church, the Jacksonville Seniors, and the Jacksonville Community Center. For her efforts, she was recognized as Jacksonville Booster of the Year in 1999 and acknowledged by the Rogue Retired Senior Volunteers Program in 2007.

Vi ran the Jacksonville arts and crafts fair for almost two decades, first for ABWA, then for the Boosters Club, and finally for the Community Center. In her 2007 interview Vi reminisced, “When I was with American Women’s Business Association, we needed to do something because the ABWA was giving out scholarships. I heard about how people were renting out space for a crafts fair, so the ABWA did it for a few years, renting out space in the U.S. Hotel. When the Boosters Club was planning an arts and crafts fair in the U.S. Hotel and the woman who was supposed to run it was ill, I mentioned that I had done it for ABWA in the same building, and I found myself running it.”

When the Boosters dropped the project in 2001, the Community Center Board picked it up and Vi continued at the helm. The name was changed to Jacksonville Celebrates the Arts, and with the assistance of multiple community volunteers, it continued every Labor Day weekend through 2014.

Vi had previously found herself President of the Jacksonville Seniors by default. “A friend of mine was elected President and I was elected Vice President. When a former President of the group tried to tell my friend how to do things, my friend just picked up her purse and walked out. I found myself President. I didn’t know what to do so I adjourned the meeting.”

Up to that point, the Seniors’ activities had primarily consisted of luncheons. Vi recalled, “I figured we needed more people than those who just eat lunch so I contacted a group of people who might be interested in getting a community center going. We looked for ways to raise money and a thrift store was suggested. I was probably the only one against it, but it was decided that we would do it.”

Vi’s background in both retail and finance made the “Old Library Collectibles and Thrift Shop” a success. The Jacksonville Seniors operated the thrift shop and Jacksonville Community Corporation until the latter became a separate non-profit corporation. The Community Center goal became finding a place and helping to build a community center for use by all ages. The Seniors’ goal was to furnish that center. Both succeeded admirably.

In May 2019 the Jacksonville Community Center celebrated its Grand Opening and officially opeaned its doors for business thanks to significant funding from the Jacksonville Seniors and Jacksonville Celebrates the Arts—in part, thanks to Vi Davis.

Vi is survived by three of her daughters, her son, eight grandchildren, 20 great-grandchildren, and 14 great great-grandchildren. Her legacy challenges not only them but us to be the best that we can be!

Due to the pandemic, a celebration of life will be scheduled for a later date.