Vera Estalle (Carroll) Davis, beloved wife, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend, passed away peacefully on December 22, 2025, at Tiffany Springs Assisted Living in Kansas City, Missouri, at the age of 100.
Vera was born on February 21, 1925, in Grant City, Missouri to Ralph and Aloha (Morin) Carroll. She was raised alongside her siblings, Betty (Galen) Ruckman, Marlin (Gerry) Carroll, and Leroy (MaDonna) Carroll. She lived her early years on the family farm near Grant City in northern Missouri, where her values, faith, and strong work ethic were first formed.
Growing up on the farm, Vera helped milk cows before and after school, enjoyed homemade ice cream nearly every summer evening, and spent countless hours playing croquet on a hilltop court. She would ride on horseback with her teacher, Aunt Pauline Hauber, to the one room schoolhouse. They would gather firewood for the wood burning fireplace to ensure the school was warm on cold winter days for the rest of the students.
In her last years of high school Vera moved to town to live with Grandma Margaret and Grandpa Edward Carroll. This allowed her to participate in after school activities with her classmates. She graduated from Grant City High School in 1943.
Vera briefly attended college in Maryville, Missouri, before deciding it wasn’t the right fit and relocating to Kansas City, Missouri. There she moved in with her aunt Ruby Carroll. In 1943, Vera became one of the millions of American women represented by the iconic “Rosie the Riveter” of World War II. Riding the streetcar and making three transfers, she worked as a riveter at the Fairfax plant, installing rivets on the wings of B-25 bombers, contributing directly to the war effort and exemplifying the courage and determination of her generation.
After the war, she met her first husband, Charles McDougal. They married on April 7,1946. Charles was in the Army with the 82nd Airborne at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Charles later served as a paratrooper during the Korean War and was captured in February 1951. He tragically died as a prisoner of war.
In 1955 she met Floyd Davis while working at the California Ranch House in Kansas City. They married on May 17, 1958. Floyd worked as the controller and assistant treasurer for the Kansas City Star. They first lived in an apartment in Kansas City then moved to a house on Swope Parkway, finally building their forever home in south Kansas City. Floyd died from a massive heart attack on June 21, 1977. Vera loved the home they built together and remained there for 58 years, until a few months before her passing.
Though she had no children, Vera’s life was filled with deep relationships, close family bonds, and enduring friendships. She loved to host family and friends at her home. Her nieces and nephews have fond memories of her Thanksgiving feasts and sleeping on her living room floor. She raised African Violets in her basement for 30 years, which she donated to her church for table decorations and rummage sales as well as gifts for shut-ins. She enjoyed playing bridge with her church friends, doing crossword puzzles, and spending hours at the dining room table with jigsaw puzzles. She was an avid Royals fan, attending many games including the standing room only World Series game in 1985 with her nephew Charles Clark. You could also find her answering questions while watching the daily Jeopardy game on TV. She loved bowling in a league at the Red Bridge Bowling Alley. She would go to auctions, estate sales, and garage sales. She loved to find treasures like depression glass to add to her large collection of glassware. She seemed to always find a diamond in the rough bringing a sparkle to her eyes. She enjoyed spending hours in her back yard with flowers and grew tomatoes to eat, can, and give to friends. Her passion was traveling. She visited all 50 states, Australia, New Zealand, England, Wales, and Scotland. She went on four Caribbean cruises and multiple bus tours. She enjoyed road trips with her niece Kathy Clark visiting relatives and her family farm in northern Missouri. Her favorite trip of all time was going to Ireland with her sister Betty, brother Leroy, her sister- in- law MaDonna, and her niece LaDonna.
Above all, Vera had a strong and unwavering faith and a deep love for Jesus that guided her life. She was faithfully devoted to the Red Bridge United Methodist Church of which she was a member until her final day. Her faith was evident in her humility, kindness, resilience through loss, and the quiet grace with which she lived.
Vera will be remembered for her sharp mind, gentle spirit, steadfast faith, and a life marked by service, strength, and grace. Her legacy lives on in the many lives she touched and in the remarkable century she faithfully lived.
Vera was preceded in death by her parents, spouses, and siblings as well as sister and brother in laws, cousins, nieces, and nephews.
She is survived by several nieces and nephews as well as many extended family members and dear friends.
Visitation will be held at Mt. Moriah, Newcomer & Freeman Funeral Home, 10507 Holmes Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64131 on Tuesday, December 30, 2025 at 10:00 am with a Funeral Service to follow at 11:00 am. Christian burial will take place immediately following the service at Mt. Moriah Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Wayside Waifs and the American Heart Association.
