Mary Monroe Davis' gift of $20M will be used for education

Mary Monroe Davis believed in the importance of education, so much so that she's bequeathing more than $20 million in scholarship aid to three Yakima Valley nonprofit groups.

"Honestly, I do not know where the idea came from," said her daughter, Joan Moore of Selah. "It's always been there."

Davis died at home in Yakima on Nov. 24 at the age of 94. Her money is going to the Yakima Valley Community Foundation, Perry Technical Foundation and Yakima Rotary Trust.

It will be used for scholarships for local students who demonstrate financial need and academic success, Moore said. Scholarships will be awarded based on annual interest.

Additional details will be shared at a news conference this morning.

"She just believed in education," Moore, 62, said. "She hoped some local students could get a good education and become the future leaders of America."

Davis was born Nov. 23, 1914, in Wenatchee to James "J.V." and Mary Snyder Monroe. She lived in Wenatchee until the age of 10 before moving to Yakima.

Her mother's parents made their money from orchards and lumber, which Davis later inherited and invested wisely, Moore said.

Davis attended a private girl's school in Tacoma, but when she didn't take a liking to that, she transferred to Davis High School and graduated in the early 1930s. She later attended Mills College for one year in California, Moore said.

Life took a turn after she met Warren Davis, who had worked for Federal Land Bank in Yakima. The two were introduced by friends and courted for a while before he moved back home to Fresno, Calif.

At her mother's prompting, though, Davis traveled to California to be with him, Moore said. The two married in the early 1940s.

They spent time in Cincinnati and Fresno before buying Hidden Valley Ranch in Thorp, where they raised 500 cattle on 5,000 acres.

"She was not a country woman," Moore said. "The first time they moved to the ranch, she found a rattlesnake in the basement. She said, 'This is it, I'm not staying here.' But she got used to it."

Her mom was an independent and private person who always spoke her mind, Moore said. She wore dresses and skirts when she served dinner at night, but on hot days, she'd fish topless in a nearby creek.

She'd lunge after gophers with an ax and bury rattlesnakes under a pyramid of rocks. She loved to garden, and she sewed clothes for Moore and her brother, Geoffrey. She also got her children hooked on playing Scrabble, Moore said.

"It improved our minds and taught us spelling," she said. "It was very beneficial."

Her mother had a strong work ethic and never had servants, Moore said. She passed this value onto her children and made them work rather than giving them handouts.

Although she didn't spend much money on herself, Davis was a travel buff who went everywhere from Hong Kong to Hawaii. She was also a voracious reader who could easily finish five to six books a week -- usually romance novels and mysteries, said her caregiver, Loretta Richardson.

"She was a wonderful woman," said Richardson, who has known Davis more than eight years. "She was a very giving and generous lady."

After Warren died in 1977, Davis moved back to her family home in Yakima, where she lived until her death. She suffered from health problems in recent years, but she never lost her spirit, Moore said.

She is survived by her daughter, Moore of Selah; a son Geoffrey M. Davis, 67, of Camano Island, Wash.; and numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

A memorial gathering was held Nov. 26 in Yakima.

* Erin Snelgrove can be reached at 577-7684 or esnelgrove@yakimaherald.com.

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