Loretta Oates Davis of Mechanicsville died peacefully at her home on Saturday, July 5, 2025. 

She was born November 6, 1938 to Eugenia Binns and Herbert Oates. Loretta graduated from New Kent High School in 1957 and attended Longwood College.

She was married to Charles Mullen, Jr. (Capt. USAF) from 1962 until his death in 1974. During that time, she traveled the world with him and enjoyed meeting people and making new friends wherever she went. 

In 1996, she married Hawthorne Davis, with whom she shared a loving and beautiful marriage until her passing. She stayed busy with numerous hobbies and volunteer projects, and invested heavily in passing along her knowledge, skills, and values to her children and grandchildren. She was especially devoted to researching and writing about her family’s genealogy and researching and documenting church cemeteries throughout New Kent.  Some of her work on these subjects was published and is available at the Library of Virginia.  She was also a proficient gardener, quilter, painter, and cook.  Loretta improved the lives of those around her in ways big and small. She was always witty, generous, welcoming and wise.

She is survived by her devoted husband of 29 years, Hawthorne Davis and his extended family; her two children, Doug Mullen and Marjorie Randall (Greg); three grandchildren, Jacquelyn Bullard (Trevor), Matthew Randall, and Emily Randall; two great-granddaughters; six half-siblings, Cathy Cowger, David Oates, Judy Hall, Lisa Poffenberger, Jan Donovan, and Joan McCormick; and Hawthorne’s children, Ellen Filer, Jessica Hege, Andrea Hill, and Anthony Davis.

The family will receive friends from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM on Wednesday, July 9th, 2025, at Monaghan Funeral Home, 7300 Creighton Parkway, Mechanicsville, VA 23111. A funeral service will be held at St. Peters Episcopal Church, 8400 St Peters Ln, New Kent, VA 23124, on Thursday, July 10th at 11:00 AM with an interment in the church cemetery to follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to St. Peters Episcopal Church, 8400 St Peters Ln, New Kent, VA 23124 in Loretta’s name.