Jeanette Adell Davis

Jeanette Adell Davis, affectionately known as Mama D and sometimes as Diane, was born in Milwaukee on December 19th, 1935 and left this mortal coil on February 10th, 2026 at South Peninsula Hospital in Homer peacefully, after a good long life at the age of 90. She was the only child of Ada Battles McDonald. She had an assortment of husbands and partners, the last of which was Irwin Ravin whom she met in Fairbanks in the late 70s. They moved to Homer in 1979 and lived on Kilcher Road.

As a child, she spent time in St. Louis and with her grandma in Alabama. Once, she was on the porch when the KKK marched past and, thinking it was a parade, she clapped her hands until being quickly hustled indoors.

Jeanette left Milwaukee for Chicago, then Canada and ultimately Alaska as a young “fancy dancer” during the wild and woolly days in Fairbanks and Anchorage. She was in Anchorage during the 1964 earthquake and ever after had a strong dislike for trembling terrain.

Jeanette was a woman of great resilience and resourcefulness, taking adversity in stride. She was a survivor of sexual abuse and served time for selling drugs. As a school girl she ran track; later, she wrote good poetry, painted in oils, played the piano and was a master gardener, all skills she learned from reading books. She was also one bad-ass wood splitter during her time on Kilcher Road. She was a docent at the Pratt Museum and an actor with Pier One Theatre. At the age of 64 she earned an associate’s degree in psychology in an effort, as she put it, to figure out what the hell was wrong with her kids. She continued her studies but was ultimately stymied by psych stats. She loved, and was beloved by, her kids, her many grand- and great-grandchildren, her myriad friends, and her little dog. She also helped raise a lot of other people’s kids. She did not like to fly. She did enjoy spending time on Bishop’s Beach.

Jeanette is survived by her daughter Angelique Waggoner, her sons Garry, Ronald and Terry Davis, Jamar Howard and Marcus Love, her “sisters” Nadine Reed, Sharon Battles and Carolyn Woods, and her little dog Zeus.

In lieu of flowers, if so inclined, please visit: https://www.paypal.me/AngeliqueWaggoner