Lauri Gilliam Davis

Funeral services for Lauri (Gilliam) Davis, age 57, of Buffalo, will be held at 11 a.m., Friday, May 25, 2018 at the Calvary Christian Center near Oakwood. Bro. Jack Smith, pastor of the church, will officiate the service. Visitation will take place from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., Thursday, May 24th at the Walters’ Buffalo Funeral Home in Buffalo. Following the funeral, Lauri will be cremated, according to her wishes, and celebrated at a private family service. Arrangements are under the direction of Walters’ Buffalo Funeral Home in Buffalo, Texas.

Lauri Gale (Gilliam) Davis was born July 25, 1960 in Fairfield, Texas. She was the second of three children born to Fred and Betty (Long) Gilliam. Lauri was raised in Buffalo and grew up attending church near Oakwood. She was a graduate of Buffalo High School’s Class of 1978. Soon after graduation, Lauri married her high school sweetheart, Mitchell Davis, on July 1, 1978. They shared nearly forty amazing years together as husband and wife.

Lauri, along with Mitchell, was the owner and operator of Gilliam’s Grocery in Buffalo. She was loved by her employees and store patrons alike. Lauri was blessed to have many loyal employees that had worked for her for years. She strived to make each employee feel like they were truly part of the Gilliam’s Grocery family. Lauri particularly loved showing her appreciation to her work family by hosting the Annual Gilliam's Christmas Party.

Lauri held a well-known love for animals that began to flourish when she was a young girl. People from the community would often call on her to adopt baby raccoons and squirrels. Her children can fondly remember numerous raccoons that their mother had named, raised and released. Lauri’s overwhelming sense of wanting to care for animals carried over into her love for people as well. Lauri was always ready and willing to feed an extra mouth or open her home and heart to someone in need.

Lauri herself certainly knew about rough times. For most of her adult life, she had battled one illness after another. Through all of her hardships, and with the help of her devoted husband, she always found the strength to fight and continue living for her family. Lauri’s family meant more to her than anything. She was a proud “MeMe” to two grandsons, whom she adored, and her three children were her heart and soul. She most enjoyed cooking for her whole family during gatherings. In particular, two of her favorite family traditions were making popcorn balls at Halloween (that everybody in Buffalo wanted) and homemade sugar cookies at Christmas.

One of Lauri‘s other great joys was to travel. However, all of her illness prevented her from being able to travel as much as she would have liked. The one exception was the annual "Girls Cruise" which had become a memorable and enjoyable event for Lauri and her friends and family. The girls will be continuing this tradition in Lauri's honor.

Surrounded by her family, Lauri's valiant fight against illness ended peacefully on Monday, May 21, 2018 at 11:19 a.m. at The Houston Methodist Hospital. Lauri was preceded in death by her mother, Betty Joy Gilliam. Surviving family members include father, Fred Gilliam of Buffalo; husband, Mitchell Davis of Buffalo; daughters, Julie and husband, Atanacio "T" Hinojosa of McAllen and Karen Davis of Pflugerville; son, Todd Davis and his wife, Kaitlyn of Ft. Hood; brother, Jerry Gilliam and wife, Sherri of Buffalo and sister, Bonnie Massengale and husband, Chuck of Buffalo. She is also survived by grandsons, Cristian and Daniel Hinojosa; special family friend, Valarie Marroquin and numerous nieces, nephews and extended family and friends, along with a community who gave unwavering support and love to the Davis and Gilliam families.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in support of the DeBakey Heart and Vascular Center at Houston Methodist. Donations can be mailed to the Houston Methodist Hospital Foundation, P.O. Box 4384, Houston, TX 77210-4384.