Elizabeth Davis' father called her "Lil Bit" on and off the playing field. The moniker, given to her when she was 4 or so, stuck with her throughout life, not that she minded. It was a term of endearment from a parent she adored.
"She was very close to him," said her mother, Kathy Parkin Davis of Atlanta. "He coached her in basketball and soccer and that was his name for her."
Peck Davis, 53, died from a heart condition when Ms. Davis was a high school junior. She took the loss hard, but tried to move on. She graduated from Marist School and enrolled in the College of Charleston, which she attended for a few semesters before taking time off.
Eventually, Ms. Davis moved to Asheville, N.C., near her brother, Bradley Davis. Weeks ago, Lil Bit was involved in a single-car accident while headed home. Authorities suspect she either fell asleep or reached for something, then over-corrected the Jeep Grand Cherokee she was driving.
She was hospitalized for nearly two weeks and had surgery to relieve a hematoma on the left side of her brain. She died Wednesday, days after being taken off life support. She was 22.
A memorial Mass will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday at St. Jude the Apostle Catholic Church in Atlanta. Groce Funeral Home of Asheville is in charge of arrangements.
Ms. Davis' mother said her daughter was a "bonus surprise" when she was born in Atlanta on June 30, 1988. Her brothers were 10 and 12 when she entered the world. She attended St. Jude the Apostle Catholic School from kindergarten to sixth grade and then enrolled at Marist, where she had close friends like Meggie Stazak and Hailey Carroll.
"Her brothers were much older, so in a sense she was an only child, a daddy's girl," said Ms. Carroll, who lives in Australia. "Her dad was so involved in all our lives and she struggled a lot with his death but tried to hide it. It was heartbreaking to see her go through that."
In high school, Ms. Stazak of Charlotte remembers Mr. Davis leaving an Easter card for his daughter before departing on a trip.
"I remember vividly she had the card in the car with her and she said it was nice that he had done that," she said. "They were very close and did things together like go to the movies and we all went out to dinner together."
Ms. Davis was working on an associate's degree at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College and had plans to attend the branch campus of the University of North Carolina. She wanted to teach at St. Jude, where her mother is curriculum director.
"She was born on a Wednesday, passed on a Wednesday and her funeral will be on Wednesday," her mother said. "She was ready to go home to her Daddy."
Additional survivors include two brothers, Joe Peck Davis and Bradley Davis, both of Asheville; and a paternal grandmother, Emma Jane Davis of Crystal City, Mo.
About the Author
