Joy Davids, first woman to have been welcomed into the Michigan chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, passed away July 12, just days before her 86th birthday.
Joy Davids and her husband of nearly 70 years, Lee, were inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Michigan Chapter in a ceremony in East Lansing in Sept. 2011.
Born July 18, 1932 in Michigan, Joy and Lee established one of the first youth wrestling clubs in America. She volunteered thousands of hours over many decades organizing and running wrestling tournaments, going so far as to drive young wrestlers all over the country to compete.
"Thousands of wrestlers will remember Mrs. Davids as the kind lady that created wall charts and took pictures of them on the award stand at local, state, national and international events," according to the tribute in both the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press. "Dozens of young men and women called her "mom", and her legacy with these young people is unparalleled."
The couple also ran Davids Gold Medal Sports, a store for equipment for wrestling and other sports, located in Hazel Park just outside Detroit.
In a News-Tribune profile written at the time of their induction into the Hall of Fame, Joy and Lee Davids were described as "an integral part of the fabric of wrestling both locally and nationally for years."
"I've met so many nice people over the years," Joy Davids told the newspaper in 2011. "If your kids were with wrestlers, you did not worry about them."
Joy and Lee Davids raised five children. In addition to daughter Mary, there were four sons who all wrestled at Hazel Park High School - Mark, a Michigan high school state runner-up who went on to wrestle at Eastern Michigan University; Billy, a state champ, and two-time Big Ten and two-time NCAA All-American for University of Michigan; Johnny, who also wrestled for the Wolverines; and Tommy, a state champ who was the third Davids son to wrestle at the Big Ten school in Ann Arbor.
Services for Joy Davids were held Tuesday evening, July 17.
Joy Davids, pioneering woman in wrestling in Michigan, dies
7/17/2018
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DAVETGC
(1)
about 7 years ago
I do not know of any woman who was consistently so intensely involved in the sport of wrestling in Michigan for the past six decades. Gail McPherson, wife of Ruel McPherson stated she personally designed and sold thousands if singlets as well as donated as many. She paired and made thousands of wall charts and pictures all at her own expense. She comforted many on their losses and congratulated thousands on their victories. She was an inspiration to thousands of wrestlers in this state for several generations. Joy was definitely one of the unsung heroines in the history of wrestling in the State of Michigan. Her energy and devotion to the sport spanned six decades, and everyone who came in contact with her knew just how special she was as a person as well as to the sport of wrestling. She will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved her. Her grandson, Jason Davids, was a Three-Time All-American at Minnesota. I will always remember Joy as being the "First Lady of Michigan Wrestling."
