Savannah says goodbye to Beaufort native who died in a crash with man fleeing ICE
Hundreds said goodbye to a Beaufort native Saturday who was an innocent bystander in the Trump administration’s nationwide effort to remove undocumented immigrants.
A service of thanksgiving and celebration of the life of 52-year-old Linda K. Davis was held Saturday at the St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Savannah. She was remembered as a great teacher with a bigger-than-life smile and personality.
The service drew 300 people to the sanctuary while another 300 watched the service online.
Davis died Feb. 16 when her vehicle collided with a vehicle allegedly driven by Oscar Vasquez Lopez of Guatemala. At the time, Lopez was fleeing ICE agents. He has been charged with first-degree homicide by vehicle.
Family members aren’t saying much about the circumstances of Davis’ death, preferring at this time to focus on her life.
“As angry and as sad and as hurt as we all want to be — today, today, today — we’re going to honor that life,” Rev. Bertice Berry said.
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said Davis’ death left many asking why something so terrible could happen to such a good person.
Davis, Johnson said, made her life count. Her “humongous smile,” he said, felt like sunshine on a cloudy day.
“She loved hard, she lived hard, she loved and laughed and she made a difference and we wish everybody could say that,” the mayor said.
Everybody is just passing through this life, he noted.
“In this world, we are all illegal aliens, we are all here on a temporary visa,” Johnson said.
But those who live and love right, he added, will see Davis again.
A stirring rendition of “Total Praise” — whose lyrics include “your peace, you give me in time of the storm” — drew applause.
A picture of Davis’ beaming face graced the front of the chapel as family and friends streamed into the stately church. As guests arrived, they greeted each other with hugs and handshakes and “how ya doin’,’” as if it were a family reunion.
It was, of sorts.
Among the crowd were 160 extended family members of Davis and her wife, Consweulo Davis, and another 15 immediate family members. Many made the drive to Skidaway Island from the Beaufort area, where Linda Davis grew up.
Davis, whose maiden name was Murray, was raised in Beaufort and graduated from Battery Creek High School in 1991. She was a teacher at Hesse K-8 School in Savannah.
Alona McMullen, principal of the school, said Davis had a big personality that was contagious. She was known for her sense of style, her big smile and her love for the kids she taught. One day, McMullen said with a smile, Davis would walk into the school wearing an Afro wig. The next day her hair would be in braids. The next, it would be straight.
“But one thing that did not change was the smile,” McMullen said. “She had that smile every single day.”
Special education can be a “tough beast” for teachers, McMullen said, but Davis was good at it and believed in the kids.
Davis, she recalled, was hired at the recommendation of her wife, Consweulo. Her loss has left a big hole at the school.
McMullen said Davis’ last words to her were “Thank you, thank you for taking a chance on me.”
This story was originally published March 7, 2026 at 2:44 PM.
