Gloria Davis
As a career educator with roots in Virginia Beach, Virginia, I
have had the opportunity to shape the minds of students in first
through seventh grades. My teaching career began with the Virginia
Beach City Public School Division in 1985 but, being married to a
military officer, we moved to Bermuda in 1986, when my husband Jim
was transferred. There I taught for the Department of Defense
Dependent Schools. During this time, we acquired and lived aboard a
52 foot steel ketch built in Hamburg, Germany. After four years of
island life, we sailed back to the United States. With my husband
newly retired, I took a year off from teaching to enjoy the
seafaring life with him before returning to work as a teacher and
then an administrator for the Virginia Beach School Division.
Beyond my chosen profession, I, with my husband am zealous about
helping children. In past years, we have served as youth directors
and opened our home to teenage foster children. Currently, we are
acting as a host family to a foreign exchange student for an
academic school year and participating in yet another passion,
singing. As members and officers of Virginia Voices International,
an international touring choir whose motto is “to reach the world
with love, one song at a time,” we are able to brighten the lives of
many children around the world through music.
Virginia Beach Community Chapel is our church family and where we
met Walt and Billie McCandless in 2004. Billie and I became fast
friends in a very short period of time with a common heart that
knows tragedy. As our friendship turned into a sisterhood, we found
strength in each other. Traveling together to Nicaragua on a mission
trip cemented our relationship, which we both believed was
orchestrated by God’s love for us. During this developing
relationship, both Walt and Billie shared the story of their son,
Chris. It was only after I was asked to serve on the Board of
Directors of the Christopher Johnson McCandelss Memorial Foundation
in 2007, that Walt approached me with the idea of writing a book.
Since that time, I have served as the chief editor and one of the
writers for the soon to be published book and DVD, “Back to the
Wild” which traces Chris’ two year odyssey through hundreds of
unpublished photographs and writings.
The Lord prepares our hearts and turns our tragedies into
opportunities to serve His people. As His servant I am honored to be
doing His will.