Mrs. Valeria T. (Marcavage) Davis, 87, passed away on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, at Schuylkill Center, Pottsville, PA, where she was receiving care for a recent illness. She was an educator, a civil servant, a loving wife, and a dear friend to many residents of her hometown of St. Clair, PA.
Valeria, also known as Val or ‘Cookie’, was born in Arnot’s Addition in 1937, the daughter of the late Anthony and Victoria Bruss Marcavage. When she was in 6th grade, her family moved into St. Clair, where she lived for the rest of her life. She graduated from St. Clair High School and earned a B.S. in Education from Bloomsburg State Teachers’ College. In 1960 she began teaching 4th grade at St. Clair Elementary School and later became a reading specialist. She earned a Master’s in Education from Bloomsburg, and ran St. Clair’s federally funded reading program for 15 years. She was nominated as PA Teacher of the Year (1984) and later retired after 34 years of teaching.
Although her classroom duties ended, she continued to serve her community through a wide range of municipal and volunteer activities. In 1994, she became the first woman ever elected to the St. Clair Borough Council and she served on various committees including the Boone Park Committee, one of her passion projects. Developing the park allowed her to integrate her love of history with her desire to provide safe and welcoming spaces for children, families, and residents of the Borough. Her work on the park with Commander Steve Petroff, of the U.S. Navy, won her a standing ovation at the Pentagon when the Commander retired from his post. She was also a member of the PA State Education Association, the National Education Association, the St. Clair Area Education Association, the Lithuanian Women’s Club of Schuylkill County, the Frackville Ladies of the Elks, Delta Kappa Gamma (Women in Education Society), St. Clair Historical Society, the Rosary Altar Society of Immaculate Conception Church, and the Women’s Group of St. Clare of Assisi Church. She shared her pride in St. Clair while touring communities all over the world with her husband Earl. They visited Italy, Ireland, Wales, England, New Zealand, and other global destinations, as well as 49 U.S. state capitals.
Val was preceded in death by her sister Virginia (Marcavage) Hinkle, beloved daughter Lynn Davis Trier, and her devoted husband Earl Davis. They celebrated 62 years of marriage prior to Earl’s death in 2021. She is survived by her sisters Lucy Fox and Rita Postick of Pottsville; Sister-in-Law Sandy Jordan of Ashland ; Son-in-Law Paul Trier of Philadelphia; Godchildren Richard McElvaney of TX, Angela Jordan of Mt. Joy;, and Brenda Wabby Day of Chicago, IL — as well as many nieces and nephews and their children.
Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Monday April 7, 2025 at 11:00 AM in St. Clare of Assisi RC Church, 250 E. Hancock St., St. Clair, PA. Friends may call at the church Monday from 9 AM to 11AM. The Rev. Monsignor William Glosser will be officiating. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the St. Clare of Assisi Memorial Fund.
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