On June 4, Chesapeake City lost a valuable and kind resident with the passing of Harriett S. Davis, 80. Born December 13, 1939 in Wilmington Delaware, to parents Roland and Grace Smith, the longtime antique shop owner on Bohemia Avenue in Chesapeake City, was thought of by many as the unofficial Mayor of the town. Harriett owned Jack’s Deli in Richardson Park, Delaware from 1967 until 1992.

Other than her family there is nothing that she loved more than the town of Chesapeake City. A resident for 40 years she was involved in every aspect of the town. From making sure the visitor’s rest rooms were open and serviced, to being among those who would collect donations for scholarships at the Summer Music Concerts, sell tickets for the Ghost Walk and organize the elections committee for the town. She still managed to find time to lead the town’s Historic Commission and hold impromptu meetings about any number of things while sitting in her kitchen at her desk.

Despite all she did to help the town, Harriett was no pushover. She was feisty and very particular of how things were done. Not everyone agreed with her, and she liked it that way. She worked tirelessly to preserve Franklin Hall and Pell Gardens.

But for all of us who got to know her, all of us who were allowed glimpses of what was beneath the exterior, we couldn’t help but love her.

With all the joy that she got from what she did for the town of Chesapeake City, her greatest joys were her two granddaughters and great granddaughter. If you knew her, you knew her girls.

Harriett is survived by her three sons: Roland (Andy) Longacre, Bruce Davis and wife Susan Sullivan, Thomas and wife Amy Davis, two granddaughters: Brianna Roseline Alaimo and Drew Charlotte Davis, and great-granddaughter Arabella Calogera Alaimo. In addition to her parents, Harriett was preceded in death by her son John Jesse Longacre Jr and brother Wilson Goldsborough Smith.

A celebration of Harriett’s life will be held in Pell Gardens in Chesapeake City on Saturday June 13th at 11:00 AM where family and friends may begin visiting at 10:00 AM. Seating may be limited but feel to bring a lawn chair as there is ample space. Please respect other attendees by wearing a mask. Interment will be held privately by the family in Silverbrook Cemetery in Wilmington, DE. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions in Harriett’s honor may be made payable to either The Chesapeake City District Civic Association or Mount Aviat Academy and sent in care of R.T. Foard Funeral Home, PO Box 27 Chesapeake City, MD 21915.