Hello, neighbors! My name is Jane Benton Davis, and I’ve lived here in this wonderful neighborhood since 1998. In fact, when my late husband and I built our home in Wyndridge, it was only the second house built in the subdivision. This has been such a great place to live. Not only do I have wonderful neighbors, but the location provides easy access to almost everything.

 

I’m originally from Opp, a small town in South Alabama. After high school, I earned a degree in Library Science from the University of Alabama where I met my husband, Jules, on a blind date. It was love at first sight! We both graduated in 1947 and married the next year. Jules and I had 68 wonderful years together before my precious one passed away in 2016 at the age of 92.

 

Jules began his career as a football coach, but then later went to work for Dana Corporation here in Montgomery. I worked for many years as a cataloger at Cross Trails Regional Library Headquarters in Opp. While there, I also had the interesting job of selecting the books for all the counties in our region.

My husband used to tell the most interesting stories about growing up on a farm in Petrey. At my urging, he wrote them down for our children, and that collection later became a book: Growing Up on a Two-Horse Farm During the Depression. We had many requests for this book from all over the country by his former football boys.

 

Jules and I had three sons. Our oldest, Joe, went to West Point and served in the Army for 30 years and then at Homeland Security for 10 years before retiring to Montgomery. He and his wife, Sheila, have three daughters – Shannon, Allison, and Kimberly. Allison has a son, Benjamin, and a daughter, Jules. Our middle son, Jules Edwin, graduated from Auburn University and is now an investment banker in New York City. He and his wife, Linda, have two sons – Jacob and Benjamin. Our youngest, Jeffrey, attended West Point for two years before transferring to the University of Alabama. He was a postal inspector in New York City where he worked undercover for many years. Our hearts were broken when he died of a heart attack in 2010 at the age of 56.

 

When Jules worked for Dana, his job required him to travel around the world. Because our children were adults by this time, I had the wonderful opportunity of traveling with him to over 30 countries, including England, France, Germany, and China. We also once went on a mission trip to Haiti with a group of 15 young people.

I belong to Frazer Memorial Methodist Church and am part of the Encouragers’ Sunday School class there. I have difficulty walking due to neuropathy and can no longer drive, but I still get up every Sunday morning and dress for church before participating by TV.

 

There are many enjoyable activities that fill my days. I like to read and have since I was a little girl. I also spend time playing mind games on my computer, iPhone, and iPad. I enjoy watching classic TV shows, such as The Waltons, All in the Family, I Love Lucy, The Virginians, and Gunsmoke. For exercise, I ride a stationary bike. At night, I like to watch movies. An Affair to Remember is a fantastic movie. Doris Day, Cary Grant, and Rock Hudson are my favorite actors, and I love almost all their movies. I also like listening to music by Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Glen Miller, and The Inkspots.

 

God keeps blessing me in so many ways. My family, friends, and neighbors are so thoughtful of me and include me in everything. God gives all of us different gifts and I believe that being an encourager is mine, so I try to contact others who are going through trials and help and encourage them whenever I can. I am truly able to say, “The joy of the Lord is my strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)