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“At the end of the day people won’t remember what you said or did, they will remember how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou
There could not be a more perfect way to describe MaryAnne Davis than this quote from Maya Angelou, one of her favorites. MaryAnne has been saint-like in her life and approach to raising her three kids: Jason Davis, Lisa Curry and Amy Sternfels.
“Our mom has this uniquely gifted talent of making every person she interacts with feel special, unlocking a gift they might not have known they have,” said her kids. “[We] can call on her in any emotional crisis. It’s remarkable how she knows exactly what to say to make others feel heard and help them find comfort. It’s incredible.”
MaryAnne was born to Marcella and Lawrence and grew up in the small town of Ida, Michigan with three brothers and two sisters, where she spent a lot of time playing and working on the farm with them.
She is always there for her family and community but also has many hobbies of her own including her special talent for art. She is described by her kids as a wonderful artist who painted in various mediums including pastel and acrylics, but her talent also takes form in mixed media and crochet, which she uses to make winter hats for adults and children.
She worked as a teacher for Monroe (Michigan) school district and taught Catholic education for her church. However, her most fulfilling teaching job was as a teacher of life lessons to her kids.
In school, when other kids were being picked on or even picking on her own kids, she taught her kids one of her favorite quotes to apply: “You never really know what is truly going on in someone’s life. It is important not to judge and try to place yourself in someone else’s shoes.” This mentality was instilled in her children to ensure they treated others with kindness and respect.
She has also taught her kids the value of growing closer to God. God, family and friends have always been MaryAnne’s priority.
Speaking of family, MaryAnne has also taught her husband the power of thinking about others in situations and sharing those good feelings. Now she gets to share those good feelings with her six beloved grandkids: 18-year-old Gabrielle, 16-year-old Kira, 15-year-old Serena, 13-year-old Lexi, 12-year-old Julian and 9-year-old Braylon.
On this Mother’s Day, her three kids couldn’t be more grateful for the wonderful mom she’s been, all she’s taught them and the unconditional love she’s shown them.
“As kids, we say we grew up in Candyland because our home life was full of love, support, and kindness. She was the lynchpin of this,” said her kids. “We love her so much and are grateful for all of her teaching moments that she never made feel like ‘teaching.’ We are thankful to have such a balance of wonderful characteristics between her and our dad and really aspire to be just like her/them as we grow up.”
