Our beloved Susan passed away on August 17, 2016. A Nevada native, Susan was born in the small desert town of Battle Mountain, Nevada to parents Jack and Mary Ancho Davis. Soon after her birth, she became a war baby when her father shipped out to Korea to fight as an officer in the U.S. Army. Susan and her mother, Mary, stayed behind with Susan’s grandparents until her father returned from the war. Years later, her family settled in Sparks, Nevada and she attended Dilworth Junior High School and in 1969, graduated from Sparks High School. She then attended the University of Nevada, Reno where she was one of the founding members of the Alpha Chi Omega sorority. She graduated from UNR in 1974 with a degree in English and her teaching credential.
Her career in education for the next thirty years would become one of great public service to Nevada’s educational system and its young people. As a fresh graduate, she landed a job at her alma mater, Dilworth Junior High School in Sparks, where she taught English for eight years. From 1981 to 1986, she taught English at Battle Mountain High School and then earned a job as a “teacher’s teacher” working in Winnemucca, Nevada as a teacher trainer in 1987 and 1988. During this time, she took graduate classes at UNR and earned her Masters Degree in Education. In 1995, she became the Vice Principal of both Battle Mountain High School and Junior High and in 1998 became the Principal of BMHS until 2003, when she retired. She continued to teach English at the college level after her retirement for Great Basin College until 2015. She also served as a Board Member on the Lander County School Board for the past ten years.
Susan loved music and was the vocalist for several bands as well as an avid karaoke singer on the weekends. She loved all kinds of music, from rock and roll to folk ballads. Having never married, (“I just never found the right guy, I was always too busy!”) she was a fervent supporter and activist for animal rights. She lived with her two cats, Circus Kitty and Houdini, who provided endless entertainment and mischief as a backdrop to her active life.
She was preceded in life by her parents, Jack and Mary Ancho Davis. She is survived by her sister, Maria Davis (Mark) Denzler of Reno, her brother, Gregory (Sharlene) Davis of Reno, four nieces and nephews, Jack Denzler of San Francisco, Natalie Denzler of San Diego, Allison (Owen) Brolsma of Reno and Katelyn (Eric) Hasty of Reno. She was also blessed with four great-nieces and nephews, Brooks (deceased), Sadie and Ava Brolsma, and Colbie Hasty, of Reno.
A memorial will be held on Saturday, September 10, 2016 at 2:00 p.m. at Battle Mountain High School, 425 Weaver Avenue. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Susan W. Davis Memorial Scholarship at Battle Mountain High School, 425 Weaver Avenue, Battle Mountain, NV 89820.
