Rita Elaine Davis

On Sunday March 22nd, 2020 Rita Reeves Davis completed her fourteen year long battle with breast cancer with her husband and children at her side. She fought her cancer the same way she loved: tenaciously and beyond expectations. She did not waste her borrowed time. She battled for more time with the people she loved and by doing so she gave her family the sweetest gift of a long goodbye.She is survived by her husband of 43 years, Kenneth Davis, son Kenneth (Heather) Davis, daughter Katrina (Jason) Gibbs, the lights of her life her grandchildren; Cierra, Levi, Estelle and Cosette, her mother Gloria Reeves, and sisters Romana (Steve) Reddell, Roberta (Gary) Halford and her beloved nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her father Robert Reeves.Rita was born in Cottonwood, Arizona on November 28th, 1953 to Robert and Gloria Reeves. Raised in Camp Verde, Rita was a bright mind and thrived in school. As an adolescent she took a leap of faith and asked the only “real” artist she had ever met to teach her to paint. That leap lead to a lifetime of her creating beauty through her artwork. She made a career of painting both commissions and murals, which were published in national magazines and television shows. Her works hang in the National Council for the State Boards of Nursing, in doctor offices, in countless businesses and in homes of families who became her friends. Rita graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in business. She was employed in several law firms before she transitioned her career to her passions; her family and her art.In 1976 Rita married her love and her friend, Kenneth Davis. After college they moved to Louisiana, Texas and back home to Arizona upon the impending arrival of their first child. In Flagstaff they welcomed their two children and ultimately moved to Phoenix to raise their family.Rita was passionate about art and taught countless children and adults to paint, honoring that love, in lieu of flowers the family asks that donations be made in her name to the Phillip England Performing Arts Center at pecpaf.com.A Celebration of Rita’s life will take place at Phillip England Performing Arts Center (210 Camp Lincoln Rd, Camp Verde, AZ 86322) on June 13th, 2020 beginning at 10 am.  Arrangements entrusted to Ruffner-Wakelin Funeral Homes and Crematory. Please visit www.ruffnerwakelin.com to sign the online guestbook and share a memory with the family. For questions please contact us at (928)445-2221.