Jo Ann Davis   1950 - 2007   Humble can be great. My Congresswoman Jo Ann Davis lived humility. Her walk in life was her witness with the Lord. Her valiant fight with cancer was a triumph, her husband Chuck told me shortly after she passed away. The Lord had told her that she would be healed, he said, and so she would be. Going to heaven was healing indeed, he explained. I agreed.   The first time I saw Jo Ann, she was stepping out of a cold, winter rain into a Republican meeting in James City County. She was running for the House of Delegates against a gerrymandered Democrat incumbent with healthy, deep roots in the community. She was nervous but determined.   Over the years the jitters went away, but her determination burned into a gentle fierceness. Jo Ann was gentle in voice and words, but she fiercely held to her convictions. Her principles proceeded in a straight line from her faith in Jesus Christ to her daily living. From the Holy Bible, she found many truths that inspired her thoughts, words and deeds.   Jo Ann's dedication to the public trust of elected office made her beloved across the First District of Virginia, her Tidewater home.  In 15 years of grassroots service in the Republican Party I’ve never such enthusiasm and deep appreciation for a Congressman's constituent services. Democrats and Republicans alike loved her for what she and her staff did to serve the People.   Every year at the Poquoson Seafood Festival, folks would ask earnestly when Jo Ann might be coming by. Then, they’d tell a tale of how much she'd helped move some government bureaucracy to serve the People.  Their voices and eyes filled with gratitude and appreciation.   Jo Ann Davis was unafraid to take on the toughest problems, from the mothball fleet to the trash being dumped on our land.  That is how she got elected: She ran unafraid.  She was outspent over and over – and won.  Then, she served with the same fearlessness.   Her first bill increased G.I. insurance for serving soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and Coasties. She was dedicated to serving those who served in the Armed Forces in defense of America.   You could always spot her in a crowd through her erect posture, the quick cocking of the head from a hundred yards.  When you got close, you’d see the sparkle in her eyes, the dimple. You'd hear the warmth in her voice, conveying genuine interest in what you were saying.   Her family, of course, can tell you all that and so much more. She loved her horses and country living in Gloucester. She had great heart. With her family at her side, she faced and passed through death unafraid. Taking leave of her body to stand in the presence of the Lord was liking walking through a door.   The grieving of her family and a grateful community, commonwealth and country began.  But, as she would know from Psalm 30:5, "Weeping may go on all night, but in the morning there is joy." And there are no tears where Jo Ann Davis is alive today.   -- October 29, 2007