Leona Kathleen Davis, affectionately known as Kitty

January 25, 1928–May 27, 2020

Kitty was born in Monroe, North Carolina, to Crawford Paris Swaringen, and Daisy Howie Swaringen. At the age of 92, she passed away peacefully, surrounded by love, in her granddaughter’s St. Louis home. Kitty was a lady brimming with Southern charm. She had the best of manners, the cleverest wit, and the inner strength of a warrior. When you asked Kitty how she was, with a glint of happiness in her baby blue eyes she always responded in her sweet Southern drawl, “Fine as wine, dandy as brandy, and frisky as whisky. How ‘bout you?”

Her joy was infectious. A smile was her best medicine, to both give and receive. Because she was a “people” person, Kitty’s career in retail was well suited. She was a manager for Cooks Department Store, Kmart, Pic n’ Pay Shoes, Aqua Blue Pools, and Watson Pools. Having lived in several cities, her most beloved residence was in Greenville, South Carolina, where she spent a majority of her adult life. She appreciated the caring community, the bustle of downtown, and the majestic foothills. For the last decade, Kitty lived in St Louis to be with her granddaughter, Shannon B. Sturgis. Kitty easily acclimated to St. Louis, swiftly making new friends, and experiencing new adventures west of the Mississippi.

Kitty had an affection for gardening, and happily shared her enthusiasm. You couldn’t leave her home without being gifted a seedling. She was an exceptional cook. One of her favorite things was to introduce her Northern friends to the delectable edibles of the South. No one ever left Kitty’s house hungry! Just as she shared seedlings, Kitty also sent friends home with scrumptious leftovers.

Kitty loved music; blues was her favorite genre. She was always ready to go to a concert, to dance, and to enjoy the collective blissful vibe. Even when music wasn’t playing, you could catch her singing songs such as “Blue Suede Shoes” and “Hey, Good Looking.” She was delighted if you hopped aboard and sang with her. Kitty adored the arts, having a special place in her heart for theater. Laughter, food, gardening, music, and theater — these all bring people together, and they all were things she cherished.

Kitty also treasured the outdoors; especially mountains, parks, and beaches. Myrtle Beach may have been closest to heart. In her youth, Kitty learned her favorite style of dance, The Shag, in Myrtle Beach. She loved that dance as much as she loved the ocean.

Kitty adored animals. She had a way of teaching puppies new tricks with minimal effort, as if she and the puppy were of like minds, simply in sync. In 2008, she had a neighbor who couldn’t keep his dog. Before he took it to the animal shelter, Kitty called her granddaughter (who lived 650 miles away) and asked her to please save this animal from the trauma of shelter life. Her granddaughter obliged — Kitty had a way of influencing you to do exactly what was right. That puppy is happy and healthy to this day.

Kitty once “adopted” a wild, grey kitten that had to be fed apart from the house, as it was too timid to approach. Every few days, Kitty would move the kitten’s food closer to the house, until one day, just in time for winter, she was able to lure the kitten under the carport to eat. Once the kitten was comfortable, Kitty inspected it more closely to discover it wasn’t a kitten at all — she had been nurturing a wee opossum. No problem for Kitty! She continued to feed it until it was grown enough to be on its way.

One of Kitty’s happiest moments was voting for Barack Obama. Through all the presidents of her lifetime, Obama was the only one to connect with her heart and soul. After the election in 2016, Kitty jokingly refused to accept he was no longer president.

Kitty believed all humans have value, and she embraced everyone. She believed we should take care of one another. She shared food, groceries, or money with anyone in need. She would give to a fault, sometimes cutting herself short. She never regretted that. She just wanted to help.

Kitty was as strong as she was generous, as clever as she was kind. She suffered no fools, and would refreshingly let you know if you were not behaving becomingly. She was everyone’s grandmother, everyone’s mom, and everyone’s friend; all you had to do was let her.

If you would like to honor Kitty’s memory, please donate to a food bank, to the Humane Society, to the arts, or to the ACLU. As Kitty would always say in all her Southern sweetness, “Bye, bye…for just right now.”