Revd Moira Davies Brought Light to Lincolnshire, Healing to the World
Anyone can leave a Legacy of Smiles that will last for generations
The Reverend Moira Davies lived a life of selfless service to her community, to humanity, and to God.
Originally a lab assistant at the East Malling Research Centre in Kent, she heard the calling in the late 1980s and was ordained as a deacon in 1988. She remained in Kent to serve her Curacy at St Mary’s Walmer. She was then ordained as a priest in May 1994, before taking on her own parish in Louth, Lincolnshire, in February 1999.
She never married and was an only child. Her parishioners were her family — and she was theirs. Throughout her career, there was not a sickbed she wouldn’t visit with a warm smile, a grieving family she did not rush to comfort, a wedding or baptism that was not graced with her legendary, magical laugh.
Though her heart was always in Lincolnshire, the sacred obligation to serve all in need featured regularly in her sermons, and she practised what she preached. She was a regular donor to many charities, though those serving children in need always had a special place in her heart
Sadly, Revd Moira passed away in May 2024 aged 82, but her legacy will live on forever.
It will live on in her parish though the kindness, joy, and deep purpose that infused her every action and that continues to inspire those who knew and loved her, particularly her two beloved godchildren, Christopher and Timothy.
And it will live on in more than 75 countries around the world through the Legacy of Smiles gift she made to Smile Train in her Will. Through this final, and thoroughly typical, act of generosity, countless children in need around the world will live with health and safety. They will go to school, find good jobs, start families, and do it all with a smile, all because of the kindness of this saint from Louth they will never meet.
But while Revd Moira was extraordinary in many ways, in truth, anybody can leave a global legacy of saving lives and giving smiles to children in need just like she did. Our Legacy of Smiles programme is easy to sign up for, and the good you do will last well beyond your lifetime for generations to come.
