Edna Emma Davis (1930-2025)

Edna Emma (Primo) Davis, 94, formerly of Monaca, Pennsylvania passed away peacefully on March 5, 2025, at the Arbors of St. Barnabas in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania.

Edna was born on May 8, 1930 in Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, the daughter of the late Frank and Rosina (Castrone) Primo. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, John, her two brothers, Anthony (Clara) Primo and Robert (Anna) Primo, and infant brother John, and her five sisters: Mary (Vincent) DeBacco, Avelia (Matthew) Fronko, Julia (Eugene) Zigerelli, Evelyn (Allen) Swain and infant sister Elisa, as well as her in-laws Robert and Fannie Davis.

Edna is survived by her three sons, Mark Davis, Michael (Bianca Russo) Davis, and Jeffrey (Renee Grandchamp) Davis. She was a proud and loving grandmother to five grandchildren, three great-grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, and four step-great-granddaughters.

The Primo family eventually settled in Monaca, where Edna graduated from Monaca High School as a member of the class of 1948. She then attended the Providence Hospital School of Nursing in Beaver Falls, where she graduated in 1951 and became a Registered Nurse.

Not long after her graduation, Edna, her sister Evelyn, and their good friend Theresa Susa, moved to Chicago, Illinois, where she embarked on her nursing career at St. Luke’s Hospital. It was there that Edna met a young man named John Davis, who soon became the love of her life. John and Edna were married on February 19th, 1955, at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Monaca, and began their more than 60 years of life together in an apartment on the southwest side of Chicago. One by one, they welcomed three sons into the family, Mark, Michael, and Jeffrey, and soon they had outgrown their small two-bedroom apartment. The family moved to Woodridge, Illinois, to a new home that John and Edna shared for almost 50 years. They raised their three children together and Edna dedicated herself to her home and family, as well as continuing to work part-time as a nurse at Edward Hospital in Naperville, Illinois. She was a parishioner of St. Scholastica Church, where she was an active member of the Joliet Diocese Council of Catholic Women, serving a term as President of that organization. She was named “Parish Woman of the Year” by the Council, an honor for which she was very proud. In addition, she was a founding member of the Woodridge Garden Club, where she also served a term as President.

Soon after they retired, Edna and John began to spend their winters in Clearwater, Florida, sharing a condominium at Imperial Cove with Edna’s sister Evelyn and her brother-in-law, Allen Swain. They eventually chose to live there year-round, and while there, they traveled, enjoyed many social activities, and welcomed visits from their children and new grandchildren, with whom they swam in the pool and took to the many attractions in the area. They remained in Clearwater until John passed away in 2016. During her time in Clearwater, Edna was a parishioner of St. Catherine of Siena Catholic Church.

Following John’s passing, Edna returned to western Pennsylvania, residing at the Village of St. Barnabas in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, where she was a member of the St. Barnabas Red Hat Society and enjoyed many social activities with new friends and enjoyed frequent visits from her children and grandchildren.

The family will receive friends on Thursday, March 13th from 2-4 pm and 6-8 pm at Simpson Funeral & Cremation Services, 1119 Washington Avenue, Monaca where parting prayers will be offered on Friday, March 14th at 9:30 a.m., followed by a mass of Christian burial at 10 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church of Monaca. Interment will follow in the parish cemetery.

The family has suggested rather than flowers that memorial gifs be given in Edna’s memory to the American Cancer Society.

To share online condolences, view Edna’s video tribute, get directions, please visit www.simpsonfuneralhome.