Sephronia Juanita Davis

Sephronia (Dorsey) Davis, a lifelong resident of Columbus, OH, was called home on Friday February 17, 2017 at the age of 79 - she was surrounded by family. Phronie, as she loved to be called, was born on 4/13/1937, the eldest of two children born to Alberta (Johnson) Dorsey and James Dorsey, who have preceded her in death. Sephronia is survived by her brother, Preston Dorsey; her children Quinnippie Davis-Vogel and Mandel Davis; her grandchildren Chastity Davis, Sequoia Brown, Victor (Lashonda) West, Qiana Davis, and Demetrius Davis; her great-grandchildren Korbin Brown, Amia Steckel, Daniel West, Cheyenne West, Braylee Davis, and Zoë Davis; and a host of cousins, nieces and nephews. One of the first black students to integrate North Jr/Sr High School in Columbus, OH in 1950, Phronie joined Centenary United Methodist Church at the age of 15 in 1952 where she remained an active member until her death. In 1955, she attended St. Mary’s of the Springs College (now Ohio Dominican University) where she studied Pharmaceutical Science. During this time, she met and married the late Jesse James Davis in 1957 and began her family. She went on to continue her education while working as an assistant at Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, OH. She joined the Gleaners Adult Sunday School Class at Shiloh Baptist Church and was an enthusiastic member of their bowling team. She did not complete her Pharmacist training and chose to instead spend more time with her young children but her love of medicine took her to Riverside Methodist Hospital where she worked as a weekend medical librarian for 36 years. In addition to this, she worked full-time for the City of Columbus, where she retired from in 2000 after nearly 30 years. Following her retirement, she stayed busy with her many volunteer and community projects such as helping with computer classes and other interests at the Martin Janus Senior Center. She also delighted in volunteering at her great-grandchildren’s schools assisting with fundraisers and field trips. Her love of travel took her all over the world. Phronie also enjoyed concerts, sporting events, golfing, and trips to the circus and zoo with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.