Peggy E. Davis

The world lost a bright light with the passing of Peggy Davis. Ms. Peggy Davis, 84, of Tucson, Arizona passed away on November 18, 2025, due to complications from Parkinson’s disease, just four days shy of her 85th birthday. She was born on November 22, 1940 in Piso, in Pike County, Kentucky, to Willie Harmon Davis and Pearl Price Davis. She spent her early years between the states of Kentucky and Arizona. She attended high school at Johns Creek High School, then Pikeville High School in Kentucky before moving to Flagstaff Arizona. She then attended high school in Flagstaff Arizona but got bored with the classes so she started taking classes at what is now Northern Arizona University (NAU) instead. She received her BA degree, but when she went to get her diploma, they wouldn't give it to her because she hadn't graduated from high school, she was just too smart for it, so she had to get a GED. She moved to Tucson and received her master’s degree in anthropology from the University of Arizona (U of A).

She went on to study and teach at the University of Arizona where she traveled the world as a teacher, tutor, and mentor with the group “Up with People”, an international organization that used musical performances and community service to promote global understanding, inspire positive change, and foster citizenship among young adults. The group's message centered on connecting people through music, a blend of performing arts, travel, and community service, with participants developing leadership and teamwork skills. She also taught grade school for a year in Chinle, Arizona on the Navajo reservation and spent a lot of time with friends on the Hopi reservation. She lived in Arizona for several years, before returning to Kentucky.

After returning to Kentucky, she was working on her PhD in anthropology at the University of Kentucky (UK) but returned to Pike County after her mother fell ill and needed care and she never finished her final dissertation. She returned to her roots and settled back in her family homeplace on Brushy Creek in Pike County Kentucky. She founded the dance program at the University of Pikeville, then known as Pikeville College, and brought the art of classical dance deep into the mountains of Eastern Kentucky. She also taught classes in Sociology and Anthropology and opened the eyes of many Appalachians into the world beyond the mountains. She also conducted archeological digs where she taught students to learn from the past. She was joined as a professor by her sister, Audrey Davis Barkman, who also came to teach at the small college, and they remained colleagues for years as they helped the school grow from a college to a university. Together, Audrey and Peggy brought visitors from many countries to our mountains to learn our ways and enjoy our hospitality. Peggy remained as a dance teacher years after her tenure as a professor ended.

After leaving the university dance program at age 76, she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and she relocated to Arizona once again to receive support and care from her lifelong best friend, her niece, Anne Barkman Spaulding, who lived in Tucson. They were only six years difference in age and had been constant companions their whole lives, even though separated by distance. While in Tucson, Anne was able to navigate the medical treatments and housing and provide the support that Peggy needed. Peggy found compassionate care at the Villas at Wilmot, where staff provided her with comfort and attention in her later years. In her final days, she received support from Catalina Hospice, whose presence helped ease her transition.

Peggy mentored many students of all ages through her life of teaching. From young children in grade school and in dance classes, to adults who took her college classes and took up dancing later in life, mostly because of her insistence, as she could be very persuasive. She shared her love of dance by teaching dance and organizing the annual Nutcracker ballet at Pikeville College/University of Pikeville for 40 years—a legacy that reflects her enduring passion for dance and community involvement.

She was a cherished member of her community, a beloved educator, and a passionate advocate for the arts and the environment, and she often enjoyed the rhythmic sounds of folk and Bluegrass music. Known for her adventurous spirit, she would eat anything that didn’t eat her first, embracing life with open arms and an open heart. Peggy leaves behind a legacy filled with love, inspiration, and achievement.

Peggy had many interests, including farming and gardening, painting and drawing, reading, and studying other cultures from around the world. Peggy’s home library was filled with books, floor to ceiling, on subjects from society and culture to astronomy and science, and fiction from every genre. Peggy’s garden and barn were always well-tended with the help of her long-time friends and neighbors, Ian and Donna Nelson, who were always there when Peggy needed them.

Peggy had a love of animals that knew no bounds. She had several dogs, cats, horses, chickens, and Guinea fowl. She regularly took care of stray animals and bought many bags of dog food for animals that she would feed on the side of a road that she could never pet.

She was preceded in death by her parents, and by her siblings: Audrey Vanila Davis Barkman; Thelma Davis Meade and Willie Edwin Davis, and by her nephew, Don Meade. She is survived by many cousins, and her nieces and nephews: Evan Barkman; Anne Barkman Spaulding; Diana Davis Martin; William Edwin Davis; and Jeff Meade, as well as many great nephews and nieces. She was also preceded in death by her years-long faithful companion, her dog Goldie, who was usually in her arms or by her side. Peggy’s large following of family and friends, some who called her simply “Peg” and others who called her “Ms. Peggy” out of reverence, will always cherish her memory and the legacy of her work and passion. She will be deeply missed by all who knew her, all who learned from her, and all who grew and lived better as a person because of her. Her infectious laughter and amicable spirit brightened the lives of all who knew her.

Celebration of Life arrangements will be made at a later date, to possibly be conducted in the spring of 2026 at her homeplace on Brushy Creek in Pike County Kentucky. It is now known as “Brushy-Creek Farm” and is the hands of some very caring people in Tim and Nicole Keable who continue Peggy’s legacy of gardening and farming.