Beatrice Pinsel Davis

Beatrice Pinsel Davis was born in Jasenov, Czecholslovakia on May 3, 1925 and died peacefully at home on October 8, 2023 with her daughter, Linda Hart and son, Bob Davis, by her side, just as she had hoped.

Bea grew up in Humenne.  Her mother immigrated to the United States with her and her younger sister, Molly, on Thanksgiving Day, 1934, to reunite with their father. Her parents soon divorced, and her mother remarried in Peoria.  Times were tough and Bea worked to contribute to the family finances from the age of 13.  She loved learning and went to Jones Commercial High School in Chicago, where she excelled in secretarial skills and won their Smile Contest based upon the “sincerity, consistency, spontaneity, and inspiration” of her smile.  She used to say, “Smile and the world smiles with you."

She met Al Davis in 1948.  They fell deeply in love, and secretly married 18 days later.  Al’s family loved Bea.  Six months later his family discovered their marriage because Al “went fishing” every weekend but never brought home any fish! Bea then moved in with Al’s family and loved them all, especially Al’s sister, Lila.  Soon they settled in San Diego, where they carefully saved and invested in real estate. They began Al Davis Furniture in 1962 and Mattress World in 1980.  Bea was a meticulous bookkeeper; Al did the buying and selling. They worked together and remained in love until Al died in 2000.

Bea believed “If it is to be, it is up to me.”  She was an accomplished clothing and quilting seamstress and crocheted countless afghans.  She was consistently, joyously lucky, whether playing casino slot machines, winning quilts on quilters' bus trips, or playing her beloved Bingo.  She was one of the early “Lifetime” Weight Watchers.  She spent her final years at Merrill Gardens, cared for by a staff she referred to as “angels.”  

She was genuinely interested in other people’s lives and lived in gratitude, so every person left her feeling better about themselves than when they arrived.  She had a soul of love, and she was loved in return.

Bea's deepest value was to create a close-knit, affectionate family, and she did.  She is survived by her grandchildren, Sarah and Taylor Davis, Amanda Dube, and Adam Reis, and her great-grandchildren, Lucia Davis-Rodriguez, Cali Davis, and Chaiya Dube, her sister-in-law, Lila Bondy, her nieces, Pam Bondy, Karen Schwartz, and Cheryl Kaplan, and nephews, Jeff and Greg Ketay.

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