Susan Ann Davis

Susan “Sue” Davis, 87, of Portland, formerly of Bucksport, Maine, passed away on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House in Scarborough, with her family by her side.

Sue was born February 16, 1939, in Auburn, New York, the firstborn child of Frederick and Teresa Davis. She grew up in Auburn with three older siblings from her father’s first marriage, David, Barbara, and Peter. When she was four, her baby brother, Bill, was born. Sue had rheumatic fever at age six and spent a full year at home while she recuperated.

As a teenager, she learned to drive a stick shift in her brother Dave’s hayfield in Orland, Maine and took a summer job as a counselor at French’s Camp on Alamoosook Lake. As a young woman, Sue was a devout Catholic, attending Mass each day, and aspired to a life of missionary service. She recalled, “I had a strong feeling that I was meant to do something special with my life.”

Sue graduated as salutatorian of her high school class and was voted “Most Likely to Succeed” by her peers. In 1957, she received an honors scholarship to attend Trinity College in Washington, D.C. She entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur after her freshman year at Trinity and completed much of her undergraduate coursework in Ilchester, Maryland. At Ilchester, she met several influential sisters who became lifelong mentors and friends, including Beverly Bell, Marjorie Shuman, and Maryanne Moran. She also met the love of her life and future wife, Mary Jane Bush. This group of powerful, social-justice-oriented women formed a core group of Catholic activists who supported Sue and her life’s work for years to come.

From 1968 to 1970, Sue taught at the Martin de Porres Center, a school in an economically disadvantaged area of Baltimore. During that time, Sue also made the decision to leave the convent. In 1969, she met Philip and Daniel Berrigan and became deeply involved in the peace and justice movement of the Catholic Left.

Sue took part in many nonviolent protests against U.S. government policies, including actions to destroy draft board records. She also supported the Black Panthers’ work in Philadelphia. By the early 1970s, Sue and Mary Jane had moved to their home at Fulton Street in Baltimore. Sue earned a nursing degree at the South Baltimore General School of Practical Nursing. The couple devoted their lives to service, community, and justice in Baltimore. Mary Jane ran a soup kitchen out of their home, and Sue continued to develop her home nursing and activist skills.

In 1980, Sue and Mary Jane moved to Bucksport, Maine, to be near Sue’s brothers Dave and Bill and their families. They put down roots and bought an old farmhouse. Sue enjoyed raising Angora rabbits and caring for her beloved pets, especially her dogs, Sam and Gwenna, and her cats, PeeWillow and Gracie. Fire destroyed their house in the late 1980s, yet with their typical resilience and creativity, Sue and Mary Jane built a beautiful new home on the same plot.

Sue worked as a community home health nurse from the early 1980s until her retirement. She volunteered for Hospice Volunteers of Hancock County and served as a hospice nurse for Hancock County Home Care. Sue was known as a skilled, caring, and compassionate nurse with a unique ability to solve problems and to support her fellow health care providers.

Sue and Mary Jane continued their activism and community building through the Bucksport Bay Healthy Communities Coalition and Solidarity Bucksport, among other local groups. They bought a small cottage on Jacob Buck Pond where they spent their summers. Each April they travelled to Florida and spent two weeks at their timeshare in Naples, Florida. Sue’s adventures included trips with friends to Italy and Germany, and a service trip with her brother Bill to New Orleans’ Ninth Ward after Hurricane Katrina.

Sue was predeceased by her wife of over 50 years, Mary Jane Bush, who died in 2025, and by her siblings David, Barbara, and Peter. She is survived by her brother, Bill Davis; many beloved nieces and nephews; and a wide community of friends who will miss her dearly.

A celebration of Sue’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at Hope Gateway Church in Portland, Maine, with a reception to follow. Friends unable to attend in person may join virtually.

Donations in Sue’s memory may be made to Hospice Volunteers of Hancock County.