Colleen Davis

Obituary For Colleen Davis

On October 11, 2022, Colleen Gail Davis, loving and proud mother and grandmother, passed away at the age of 75 in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. Colleen was born on August 21, 1947 in Passaic County, New Jersey to Virginia Gronan Carey and Leo Michael Carey. She attended high school at Immaculate Heart Academy and college at William Paterson University in New Jersey, followed by a graduate art studies program in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Colleen dedicated her life to art, travel, and her family. She also had a lifelong passion for community betterment through improving access to education and food stability. She was able to fulfill this passion over the years in various ways, including most recently serving as the Sierra County Farmers’ Market Manager in Truth or Consequences. She was happy to spend the past 14 years in New Mexico extending her community of like-minded individuals who foster these same ideals.

Colleen’s path as an artist began early in her life when she studied textiles and visual art in the Mexican town of San Miguel de Allende in the early 1970’s. Her love of Mexican and Southwestern culture remained with her throughout her life. She enjoyed sharing stories of the multiple cross-country and cross-border road trips that she would take in her beloved Morris Minor car to Mexico and Canada. She used these stories to encourage her children and others to travel and learn about people, places, and cultures outside of their immediate surroundings.

After studying in Mexico, Colleen settled in Los Angeles, California with Bill Davis, a fellow artist with whom she raised four children. Colleen and Bill later moved to Nyack, New York where they primarily worked for Children’s Television Workshop, producing content for Sesame Street and Reading Rainbow.

The family eventually settled in Ithaca, New York where Colleen worked primarily as an artist and producer for Artbear Pigmation, an animation company that she founded alongside Bill. She co-authored and published a book exploring the process of creating and producing animation in a small studio and worked on projects that aired on networks such as Nickelodeon, PBS, HBO, and CBS. In addition to producing animation largely aimed at educating children, some of her other roles included being a member of Ithaca’s Artist Cooperative (Handwork), the Ithaca Farmers’ Market, a substitute teacher, a talented crocheter, and a devoted mother.

Colleen is survived by her two brothers, Ray and Doug Carey, and her four children, EvaRose Davis (Michael Sisler), Elyssa Davis (Joshua Heffernan), Michael Davis (Julie Roberts), and Emily (Jason) Johnson; and her grandchildren, Liam, Davis, Dashiell, Aden, Esperanza, and Sunita.

Colleen’s family will continue to celebrate and embrace her wanderlust, generous spirit, and common sense. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the New Mexico Farmers’ Marketing Association. (https://newmexicofma.org/)