Eleanor Davis
Eleanor Davis, age 94 of Walnut Grove, slept away peacefully on Friday, July 10, 2020 at Our House Hospice of Murray County in Slayton. Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, July 16 at the Trinity Lutheran Church in Walnut Grove. The service will be broadcast live on the Stephens Funeral Service Facebook page. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church on Thursday. Burial is in the Walnut Grove Cemetery. Due to the current Covid-19 restrictions, please wear a mask and practice social distancing guidelines. A 50% indoor occupancy restriction will be maintained. Facebook link may be found and online condolences may be sent at www.stephensfuneralservice.com. Stephens Funeral Service – Walnut Grove Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Eleanor Christine (Sande) Davis was born June 7, 1926 in the Kenyon area of Minnesota, to Herman and Ellen (Barlaugh) Sande. She attended country school near their home with her sisters, Myrtle and Marcella, and their Sande cousins. Eleanor’s mother and dad made cheese at the Sogn Cheese Factory for 3 years, and then the Nansen Cheese Factory until wanting a different way of life. The family then moved to Minneapolis where Eleanor’s parents found employment with the Honeywell Company. Eleanor and her sisters graduated from high school in Minneapolis. After Eleanor’s graduation, she was employed by Butler Brothers in downtown Minneapolis, and she continued to live at home with her parents and sisters. She met her future husband, Donald Gene Davis, while working for Butler Brothers and they were married on September 23, 1950 at The Redeemer Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. Following their marriage, they made their home on the farm where Don grew up near Walnut Grove. Eleanor and Don were blessed with two children, Ronald and Debbra, and 45 years of marriage before Don’s death. Eleanor worked at the Tracy Hospital as a cook for many years, which meant arriving very early each day. She loved working there and made so many wonderful friends. She and her friends made a ritual of getting together often for lunch or dinner, even after they all retired, and they never missed taking a group photo each time. Eleanor and her friends at her church in Walnut Grove made many beautiful quilts, making sure each student of the church received one at graduation. Eleanor was a member of the Flower Club, which was comprised of neighborhood ladies. After it was no longer safe for her to live on the farm alone, Eleanor made her home at Country View in Walnut Grove and she cherished the many special friendships made there.
Eleanor is survived by her son, Ronald (Sue) Davis of Cannon Falls, MN; son-in-law Keith Anderson; grandchildren: Kelli (Patrick Weiss) Davis, Shannon Davis, Jessica (Kent) Peine, Kristy Anderson; great-grandchildren: Kaden Davis, Kyle & Ryan Peine, Kayla Anderson, RJ & Donnie Edwards; great-great-grandchildren: Bryce & Brantley Anderson; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins. She is preceded in death by her parents, husband Don, daughter Debbra Anderson, sisters Myrtle (Calvin) Mathwig and Marcella (Donavan) Chilton, sister-in-law Delores “Babe” (Curtis) Jensen, brother-in-law Richard (Lucille) Davis, nephew Mike Mathwig, and so many good friends.
