Davina Grace Hunter

DAVINA GRACE HUNTER THE STORY OF HER LIFE
by Don Hunter, her husband
Davina G. Hunter, born Davina G. Marshall, first made her appearance in this world on June 11, 1939 in the town of Thetford, County of Norfolk, England. She was one of eight children born to David and Hilda Marshall. I met Davina in 1956 while on duty in the US Air Force so I can only tell you what I know of her life from that time and what she told me of her earlier life in England. I met her at a private dance school New Years Eve party, which I was not authorized to be at, but crashed anyway. I spotted this pretty little bunny doing the bunny hop around the dance floor and immediately joined in behind so I could meet her and hopefully become acquainted. Little did I know she would become the love of my life and we would spend the rest of our lives together and produce three beautiful children, seven grandchildren and four great grandchildren and one in the hanger. The best way I could describe Davina is, petite, beautiful, lady, overflowing with love for everyone she met, especially those who needed someone to love them and she somehow always new who they were. Davinas love started with her parents who she honored and adored. When I started dating her I noticed that on her pay days she always bought something for her Mom and Dad. Davina was a telephone operator in Lincoln City, where she roomed during the week and took the train home on weekends. I soon became acquainted with her family and they welcomed me into the fold, after a thorough interrogation, as her Mother declared, especially with a Dam Yank. I spent most weekends at her home, when I was not on duty, and became kind of another kid in the family. Davinas Dad was a Chief Forester and so their home was in the country on Forestry acres her Dad managed for the Government. They called it Chapel Hill Farm, a large old brick two story home with fireplace heat in almost every room, electricity supplied by a generator, installed by her Dad, no refrigeration except a cold cellar and a dolly tub for doing the laundry. I remember thinking I had gone back into the days of my parents twenty years past. Our courting consisted much of walking the trails of her Dads forest, stopping occasionally for a smooch of course, going to the Cinema or to a dance in the Lincoln Ball Room. Davina was a hard worker, always looking to help her Mom with the job of caring for eights kids and one Dam Yank. One of our favorite stories about our courting days was one night coming home from the Cinema when we stopped my little English ford along a country road to cuddle and kiss a little when suddenly a knock on the window presented an old farmer who stated” I don’t mind your courting in me driveway but please turn off your engine, it’s fluttering up me TV”. We laughed and moved on. In December of 1957 I was scheduled to be discharged and return to America. On December 11th, one day before shipping out, we slipped off to a little village called Horncastle, with my best friend and his English wife for our witnesses, and vowed that for the rest of our lives together we would stay as husband and wife, for better or worse, richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, till death do us part. And we have experienced it all. We then had the difficult job of informing her parents of what we had done, without there OK, and hoped they would understand. At first it was not good and we weren’t sure they would accept what we did as they could have intervened to end this marriage before it even started. We spent that night apart wondering what our future was going to be. The next day was equally tense but when the town cab came to pick me up to catch the train to the base for my flight back to America, her Dad said go with him to the train and if it’s still
your wish you can join him later. Three months later she arrived in New York to start her new life in Norfolk Virginia as Mrs. Davina Hunter. She was 18, a little scared and wondering what this big new country had in store for her. My Dad my Step Mother and Grandma Hunter lived in Norfolk and would be her new family as we started our life together. When we arrived in Norfolk we went for her first visit to my family and she was quite nervous, afraid they might not approve of this English bride. I think it took all of 30 minutes for my Dad to fall in love with her and decide she was the daughter he always wanted. My step Mom took her under her wings immediately and Grandma, a very tough old gal, soon became softer and strangely loving as a result of her new relationship with Davina. In fact she seemed to bring our whole family closer to each other. Davina had that effect on people. I had a little apartment waiting for us in Ocean Beach Virginia on the outskirts of Norfolk where we started our fifty seven year journey together.

In those following years Davina gave us three beautiful children, Mark, Kathleen and Debra which I believe she thought was her most significant accomplishment in life. She loved her children intensely and no one had better mess with her kids. Even after they were grown and gone her love followed them where ever they were and in what ever they did. If you ask me “what was her occupation?” I would have to say being a Mom, wife and loving friend. She was the best at all three. In those years she helped me complete college so we could have a better future for us and our kids. She received a degree for that by the way, PHT, Putting Hubby Through and was so proud when it was presented to her. She so deserved it. We started our new life after college in Newport News Virginia where I went to work for Newport News Shipyard in the Nuclear Engineering Department. The next few years were good in many ways, purchased our first home, a better car, a trip home to England for Davina but also tough times because of long work hours on my part leaving Davina to care for kids and home much on her own. This was about the time Davina and I started into a difficult time of our lives which continued for about the next five years. Missing her family in England and my working long hours all contributed to a period of depression and confusion about her life and future. These times tested our commitment to the vows we had made years before. Then my job sent us to California for about a year to Mare Island Naval Shipyard . We thought, this new adventure might heal the hurting and we did have some great times exploring the beauty of California and making new friends, but my sweetheart and I were still not happy and life was just not what we had dreamed it would be. We returned to Virginia , purchased a beautiful new home and this time had to part when I was sent to New York for six months to work on a land based Naval Reactor. Again, hoping a change would heal our hurting, I accepted a permanent position back in California at Mare Island Naval Shipyard as we had both loved living in California. We purchased a new home, in the country, in the beautiful Napa Valley and my Dad ,who was now alone, came to live with us. Our kids, now including Debbie, ranged from toddler to grown up Mark, about ten. Our best times were spent camping, going to the Ocean and exploring places like Yosemite, the redwoods and the Napa Valley. Dad had a huge garden and so Davina was in her glory putting up veggies and fruit for the winter. One of Davinas favorite getaways was a rustic cabin in Yosemite that we visited in both winter and summer. The deer would eat out of her hand and the birds would , to her great pleasure, land on her shoulder for there share of the goodies. Our whole family have some great memories of those days together on a little ranch on Big Ranch Road. Life was better in many ways but we were still looking for the answer to why our lives were somehow not complete and still lacked the happiness we so longed for. Two more years of hanging on to our dream and then a chance to go to the Northwest to Bremerton Naval Shipyard in Washington. Maybe we could find that happiness we were looking for there. We hit the road again and purchased a new home in Port Orchard. Not long after our arrival, certain special people and events came into our lives and led us to the answer we had been looking for all those years. That answer was in a person named Jesus Christ. We had always known of Him but now we came to know Him. We came to know Him in a personal way that filled our lives with a new hope for our future together and the assurance, that if we made Him our Lord and accepted his gift of love and forgiveness, we could recapture our dream, when we promised that together we would stay for the rest of our lives. With a new hope we sought out a Church to help us with our walk with Jesus. The little Nazarene Church in Port Orchard welcomed us with open arms and we became part of a loving church family that helped us find that completeness we had been so long looking for. Davina became involved in the Caravans children’s ministry and teaching a children’s bible class and I began working with the Teens. Davina so loved the little ones and she always had a crowd of them tagging on behind her. Our kids grew into teens and beyond. I started a river rafting ministry and as always Mom supported my efforts. I remember one Church Teen group we took on the river and following the trip they were all famished. Mom pulled out a couple of cans of tuna and a loaf of bread and I swear it was like Jesus feeding the 5000. I don’t know how but she feed them all and they went off in the bus waving, happy and full. Then came a call from California asking me to return to Mare Island Naval Shipyard to help on another refueling project. Davina wasn’t to thrilled about leaving our home and another move but she again supported me and back to California we went. We found a great Nazarene Church in Vallejo, our new home, and a lifetime friendship of a great pastor and friend Pastor Lee Tipton. Again Davina went to work loving and teaching the little ones and always loving and touching all those around her. She did her first white wedding for our son and beautiful daughter in law Deanna. The first of at least five she would do for our daughters and friends. Always wishing she had been able to have a white wedding her self she did such a beautiful job for those she loved. And Deanna was a special love of her life both before and after she became our only sons love of his life.. We had about five special years in California, which involved good and bad times success’s and failure’s, times that stretched our faith in the Lord and each other but He never let us down and we never let go of His loving hand. When things were looking bleak and uncertain for the future, I got a call from my old boss at Bremerton Shipyard asking me if I would consider returning to Washington to head up his training division. When I told Davina she was delighted at the thought of returning to Port Orchard and our old friends. After about a month in a Motel we found a little rambler we both fell in love with, although it needed a lot of loving care, and made our last move of our life together. The next thirty years would see our two daughters marry and start families, my dad move into a mobile home next door on our property, take a new wife and in 1993, go home to be with the Lord. Our beautiful grandchildren now became the center of Davinas love and they came to love her and look forward to their time with Nana. Our first grandchild, Kathy’s son Jon. spent a lot of time with us when he was little and became like a second son to her, our Mark’s son Justin had a special place in her heart and she always said she loved how he always hugged and held her. Her three granddaughters, Kristin, Kaytlyn and Jessica each held a special place in her heart, each a little princess in her eyes. Oh how she worried about and prayed for them to always be safe and that the Lord would find a special Prince for each.. He is answering that prayer right now. Then there is Debra’s David, having the same name as her beloved Father, who is probably most like her. A gentle giant of a young man, tender hearted ,wanting to help and serve others just like Nana. David was her Prince and she told him, “always remember I was your first girl friend”. Then there was Nick who came into her life along with George our Debras husband. Nick, just like her other grandchildren held a very special place in her heart and like Justin always made her happy with his hugs and kisses for Nana. Finally, her youngest grandson, Ryan, would always seek out Nana when we had a family get together and talk her head off. She always listened intently with such patience and genuine interest and would remark to me later, ”that little guy is really smart and going to do special things someday”. Everyone who came into her family circle felt a special love and held a different place in her heart. George, Debras husband, became another very special son, Brittany, our grandson’s beautiful wife, another daughter who loved and honored her in a very special way, Shaun, our Kaytees husband was a special project for her. She decided when she first met him that he needed special loving and set out to provide it and said ” I’ am going to love him to the Lord”. Our Kristin’s future husband Justin, held a place of honor as she said he is going to be a doctor, maybe he will take care of me someday. Kailey, David’s beautiful new wife, Jaqueline, Nicks soon to be wife and our Justin’s love Aleah, all found Nanas love to be theirs as well. She found a special beauty in each of these lovely girls, as she described them, and looked forward to their future friendship.. Just like all the others, our four Great grandchildren, Claire, Christian, Mason and Blake were a final blessing to her and gave her another chance to play with and love the little ones and just like before, they ran after her and experienced the tender love of their Nana.. At last, on our fifty seventh anniversary, Davina got to have her White Wedding. To her great surprise I again proposed to her and when she said “yes” her lovely daughters and granddaughters prepared her for her final coronation and White wedding she had always wanted. Kathy found a beautiful wedding dress, which fit her like a glove, and she looked like a Queen. This was the chance the whole family had to honor her and return, in a special way, the love she poured out on all of us through the past fifth seven years. Our great friend, Pastor Lee, conducted the service and her elegant beauty and his tender words made this a very special event in all our lives, epically Davina’s. Thank you family. We have experienced good and bad times in our lives that brought both wonderful laughter and great pain but one thing Davina would say to anyone who might listen is “Jesus is the answer to all your problems just like He was the answer to mine and Dons and has since been the answer for our children and many of our Grand children. So try Him, He won’t let you down.” If I had to describe Davinas life in a few words I would say she was a beautiful English lady who loved her Lord, her husband, her children and everyone who was lucky enough to cross her path. She loved like Jesus, unconditionally and she changed lives. She filled my life with love, joy and many good memories to carry me through this most difficult time. If you knew Davina Grace Hunter you were lucky and like me you are hurting from her loss but she is, without a doubt, with her best friend and Lord ,Jesus Christ, who I am certain is now enjoying a cup of tea in the company of this beautiful English Lady.

Davinas:
Favorite Flower; Pansies, Lilac
Favorite Color; Lavender
Favorite Song; In the Garden
Favorite Scripture; Proverbs, 3 verse 5 through 8, Trust in the Lord with all your heart--
Awards; Sears Store: “Living Legends Award” and “Sears Best” for Outstanding Performance
Mission in Life; Love hurting people and take care of her family
Favorite Family Activity; Family Get Together
Hobbies; Knitting, Crafts, giving away her Home made jams
Favorite Place to Spend Time; In the garden
Business Association; Sears Department Store Employee
Favorite Experience in Life; Accepting Jesus as her Lord and Savior
Favorite Pet; Tuffy
Personal Activities; Sending small gifts, notes and cards to family, friends and others
Favorite Memories; He memories of her childhood in England with her brothers and sisters and Mom & Dad she so dearly loved.