Francys Elinor (Sherwood) Davis

Francys Elinor Sherwood Davis was born in Pepperell, Mass. on April 7, 1923. She was the third daughter and fourth child of eight siblings born to Walter E. Sherwood and Florence Moorhouse Sherwood, of Pepperell.

Francys passed away on February 10, 2021 after suffering a stroke.

Francys attended the Main Street School in Pepperell (now the police station) and graduated from Pepperell High School in 1941.

She worked as a telephone operator from the second floor of the building on the corner of Main and River Road before going to work for General Electric in Fitchburg. It was in Fitchburg that she met William R. Davis and they were wed in the Christ Church Episcopal Church in Fitchburg on August 30, 1945. They had nearly 65 years together.

Francys and her husband relocated to San Francisco, California. They had one son.

Francys worked as a bookkeeper and office manager for several companies in California before retiring. After their retirement they returned to Pepperell to live in the old family house where she lived for the past 40 years.

She was a fantastic cook, a superb seamstress, and enjoyed writing stories and poetry that she shared with family and friends. She taught her grandchildren how to bake, how to can fruit, and how to knit.

Francys was an active and faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints where she served in many capacities. She attended the Littleton Ward congregation since returning to Massachusetts. She became a beloved grandmother to the whole congregation.

She and her husband served in the Washington, D.C. Temple and the Boston, MA Temple of the Church.

Francys spent more than 70 years actively pursuing her ancestors through genealogical research that took her on treks all over New England, Canada, and to England and Ireland. She loved her family that had come before and collected their personal information, and any stories she could gather together, to preserve for future generations.

She spent many years tutoring and helping people do their own research. She volunteered for many years in the History Room of the Lawrence Library in Pepperell, often helping people from out of town who were doing genealogical research in New England and made friends from all over the United States some of whom she kept in touch.

Francys leaves behind her son and his wife, Ron & Kathy Davis of Pepperell, their seven children, Elizabeth and John Clawson of Sun Prairie, WI; their children, Meghan, Samuel, and Erin, and Meghan’s husband, Kaelon; Rebecah Davis and her husband, Chris of California and their children, Calvin and William; Christina Yin and her husband, Joe, of Tokyo, Japan and their children Edmund and Abigail: Heather Cooprider and her husband, Nathan, of Bedford, MA and their children, Ada, Alice, Clara, and Peter; James Davis and his wife, Tirza of Ayer, MA and their children, Ruth, James, Norah, and Finn; Christopher Davis and his wife Alexandra of Leominster, MA and their daughter, Eliza; Stephanie Duford and her husband, Bryan, of Moon Township, PA and their children Lily and Arthur. She dearly loved her grandchildren and their spouses and 18 great-grandchildren. There was no-one with whom she’d rather be.

Francys also leaves one sister, Nancy Huggins of Mount Pleasant, SC, and many nieces and nephews, all of whom she adored and loved spending time with.


DAVIS - Francys Elinor (Sherwood), a longtime Pepperell resident. February 10, 2021. Funeral Services will be private.


Mrs. Davis' Tribute Video is available to view using the following link: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ry_FZHvQGPYvonn0nQUR0lWKNDjiVoPY/view?ts=602db577