Rosemary (Hayes) Davis

**Sad to announce that due to current restrictions the funeral has been limited capacity to invitation only and will be streamed.  For the visitation there will be marked entrances and exits, and people are asked to follow social distancing and follow the marked directions*

Rosemary Davis, 78, of Marshall, died on Sunday, May 17, 2020, surrounded by her family.

Rosemary was born on June 1, 1941, in Chicago, IL, to William and Madeline (Campagna) Hayes II. When Rosemary was 14 years old, following her father’s return from World War II, she moved with her family to Shelby, MI. She graduated from Shelby High School in 1959. Before heading to college at Western Michigan University that year, she went on a blind date (bowling) with Raymond O. Davis from Muskegon. A little over a year later, on August 27, 1960, they were married at Our Lady of Fatima Church in Shelby. Ray and Rosemary moved to Marshall in 1962, when Ray started a job as a drafting teacher at Marshall High School. Rosemary went to work for St. Regis Paper Company. In 1965, Rosemary consulted with Ray’s Uncle Clyde Hendrick, a Muskegon Realtor, about selling real estate (Clyde’s business is now owned by Bob (Jan) Hendrick in Grand Haven, MI). She grabbed a copy of the State of Michigan Real Estate Manual, the “Red Book”, studied it, and then took and passed the licensing exam. Dave Sherman, owner and broker of Sherman Associates, told Rosemary she could have a job when she passed the exam. She took him up on that offer and worked for Dave from 1965 to 1978.

Although a long-time member of the Battle Creek Area Association of REALTORS®, Rosemary was not initially admitted when she tried to join that organization in the mid-1960s. She was told her application was denied because she had a child in elementary school. Eventually, with help from Dave Sherman, she was granted membership, became one of the first female REALTORS® in the area, and was elected its President in the late 1980s. In 1978, Rosemary decided to venture out on her own, opening Rosemary Davis & Associates in a former restaurant storefront in downtown Marshall. It would prove to be the first of many trails Rosemary would blaze for female business owners in Calhoun County and Marshall. She continued to own and operate her business until her retirement in 2018. The business, now Real Estate One Rosemary Davis, is still operating, 42 years later, by her son, Matt.

Rosemary has always been very active in the Marshall Community, winning the Marshall Jaycee Auxiliary Community Service Award in 1969. The Marshall Chronicle described the basis for her award that year as follows:

“A sincere interest in the children of our community is the foundation of all of Rosemary’s activities. She has become totally involved in the Sherman School PTA, the PTA Council, the Marshall Chamber of Commerce, the Citizens Committee, and 4-H Leadership.”

She was co-chair of the 1968-69 Millage Election Committee, which successfully campaigned for passage of the millage resulting in the construction of the “new” Marshall High School in 1972; she served on the Oaklawn Hospital Board of Directors (President in 1994); she served many years on the Marshall Chamber of Commerce Board (Chairperson in 1986); and for many years she volunteered in key roles on the Christmas Parade Committee and the Monaco Night Committee. In 1997, Rosemary was recognized as the Marshall Area Athena Award winner, a prestigious national award given to female leaders who excel in business and promote other females forward in their careers.

Rosemary not only enjoyed selling real estate, she loved her family fiercely. She was very close to her sons and grandchildren, who brought her much pride and joy. She was an avid bridge player, who along with card-playing partner Rob Covert, formed a formidable team. She loved constructing jigsaw puzzles, playing board games, playing pinochle, and winning (not losing) BINGO at Firekeepers Casino. She was also an accomplished cook, and learned many of her skills and recipes from her Mother in Law Bess Davis, however,  she was best known for her spaghetti gravy, which was a recipe that came from Sicily with her Grandma Rose Campagna.

Rosemary is survived by her husband of 59 years, Ray; sons Raymond (Mara) Davis and Matthew (Leigh) Davis; grandchildren Jacob, Collin, Lelah, Paige (Derek), Hunter, Kendall, and Madelyn; great-grandchildren Natalie, Brody, and Sidney; brother William (Shirley) Hayes III; brothers in-law Roger (Dianne) Davis and Richard Kardian; nieces and nephews Joe (Mary) Hayes, Tim (Sylvia) Hayes, Amy (Trent) Kidder, Sara Hayes, Deanna (Justin) Persoon, Jeff (Lana) Davis, Lindsey (Walter) Bernaquez, and Katie Davis. She is preceded in death by her parents William and Madeline Hayes and a brother, Edward Hayes and her in-laws Orville and Bess Davis.

Visitation will take place from 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm on Thursday, May 28, 2020 at Kempf Family Funeral and Cremation Services, 723 Old US Highway 27 N, Marshall, MI  49068. A Private funeral service will take place on Friday, May 29, 2020, at Marshall United Methodist Church, 721 US Highway 27 N, Marshall, MI  49068, with Pastor Melany Chalker officiating. Interment will follow at Oakridge Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Marshall United Methodist Church or to the Michigan Crossroads Council of The Boy Scouts of America, 137 S Marketplace Boulevard, Lansing, MI  48917. Memorials can also be mailed to Kempf Funeral Home, PO Box 519, Marshall, MI  49068. Leave a personal message and sign the online guestbook at http://www.kempffuneralhome.com

**Sad to announce that due to current restrictions the funeral has been limited capacity to invitation only and will be streamed.   For the visitation there will be marked entrances and exits, and people are asked to follow social distancing and follow the marked directions*