Mary Hill Davis was born in Greenville, Georgia, and came to Texas as a small child in 1870 when her family moved from Tennessee to Dallas. At age 20, she married F.S. Davis, a physician. They had one son, Raymond, also a physician and surgeon.

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Mary's heart for missions and people was evident in everything she did. She believed Texas was a vast mission field, and that immigrants needed to know Jesus just as much as citizens. Not only did she stir women to give and pray for missions (giving increased by $1.2 million dollars during her presidency), but she also encouraged leaders to take care of orphans, schools in Texas, as well as China, and retired pastors living in poverty.

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Mary Hill Davis passed away on November 24, 1934, and during a memorial service held at the WMU Convention of Houston in 1935, the State Missions Offering was re-named the Mary Hill Davis Offering®.

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