Roscoe’s town council members, relatives and neighbors attended the dedication ceremony Saturday evening.

Sandy Davis had a bright smile, broad shoulders, an excellent work ethic and always a listening ear.

She had a special way of making the people around her feel that they were important.

Whether it was a friend, relative or a complete stranger, when she saw you in her hometown, she grinned,

shake your partner’s hand, give him a big hug, and then ask him sincerely, “How are you?”

She was sincere and always took the time to listen.

Davis, 71, died on Feb. 12, but a park in Roscoe, a place she loved and called home, now bears her name.

Her family tore shimmering gold

Paper from the sign at the newly dedicated Sandy Davis Memorial Roscoe Riverview Park on Saturday as dozens of spectators watched with tear-filled eyes and warm smiles.

Davis was a woman who put her family and her community first.

No matter where she traveled, the Mon Valley and her small town on Route 88 and the Monongahela River were her home.

In 1988, she opened Davis Travel Agency in Monongahela and ran the business for the last few years from her home in Roscoe, where she was still working at the time of her death.

She was successful in business, but was even more committed to her civic engagement.

Davis dedicated much of her life to serving the communities she worked and lived in. Whether it was building playgrounds, parks or pickleball courts, coordinating fireworks displays, beautifying the streets with colorful banners or making sure Christmas trees were perfectly decorated to usher in the holiday season, her roots in Roscoe and the love she felt for her community ran deep.

In 1990, she became the first female member of the Rotary Club of Monongahela and subsequently served two terms as the club’s president and as an alternate Rotary district governor for southwestern Pennsylvania.

She was a member of the Monongahela Chamber of Commerce, worked for the Mid-Mon Valley Transit Authority for 35 years, served on the RESA Police Board of Directors, and was a tenured city councilor. When she died, she had already served as president for many years.

Davis took her first position on the Roscoe Borough Council in 1994 when TJ Wilkinson resigned his seat to become mayor.

“The rest is history – she never looked back,” Wilkinson said.

When it comes to their community, particularly the park and creating spaces for children and families to enjoy, recreation could be said to be their specialty.

“She was always for this park, for everything we wanted to do down there, and a lot of what you see there now is thanks to her,” Wilkinson said. “She traveled all over the country, but Roscoe was her home.”

Dawn Popelas, chair of the Roscoe Council, said Davis was an “icon” in the community.

“She was very popular and well-respected,” Popelas said. “Sandy was someone who made things happen.”

The pickleball courts in the park and the pavilion were Davis’ idea.

“I didn’t even know what pickleball was,” Wilkinson said. “I figured it out and as always, she made it happen.”

“Sandy said if we built the pickleball court, they would come, and she was right,” Popelas said. “The gazebo may be small, but she wanted families to have a place to sit in the shade, have a picnic and get out of the sun. The playground, the boat ramp, so many of the things we have are thanks to her, and we thought it would be fitting to give back like she did.”

After Davis’ death, Popelas assumed the role of chairman of the Roscoe Council.

His colleague, City Councilor Jennifer Todd, said it had been a smooth transition.

“Dawn was reluctant because we all thought we were going to have Sandy for a lot longer,” Todd said. “But we told her, ‘You know her, you’ve watched her, and she would be proud that you took on this role.’ And Dawn does an excellent job.”

Popelas said Davis taught her a lot.

“She always remembered your name, always took the time to ask you how you were doing, and she always took the time to listen,” Popelas said. “She was just someone who was always willing to give, no matter what. She made time for the people and the things that mattered, and she made you feel important every time you talked to her. And I really think the world needs more of that.”

Todd said no one hesitated when she suggested rededicating the park in Davis’ honor.

“Nobody batted an eyelid because it just made sense,” Todd said. “Sandy was someone who didn’t just talk the talk, she walked the walk. She was totally committed to this district and went above and beyond what was expected every time.”

Although rain was forecast for Saturday, her friends and family believed Davis broke through the clouds and brought sunshine as the park was dedicated in her name.

After the ceremony, families throughout the district held picnics and parties.

Instead of having a fireworks display every year on Independence Day, Davis postponed the show until the end of the summer to give students a good send-off to school.

This has been the case since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Years ago, she started the street party with fireworks, but after the pandemic, she said even if we couldn’t have the street party, we should still have the fireworks. That way, people could celebrate alone with their families but still have something to look forward to.”

It has never changed.

Her friends and family, as well as many beloved community members and strangers, gathered Saturday to remember her, and after dark, fireworks lit up the sky.

“It was a beautiful night, a beautiful day and I’m just so happy we were able to do this for her,” Todd said. “There were parties all over town, so much joy and I think she would have really, really loved it.”

Behind the wall, in an almost secret location near the river bank, is a bench where the council hopes people will stop to reflect, relax and enjoy the view, as Davis so often did.

“She loved the river,” Todd said. “Her house was on the river and she loved taking people out on her pontoon boat.”

Popelas said Davis had a hand in pretty much everything “that involved Roscoe.”

“I like to call it the reflective bench,” Popelas said. “It’s not just a place to sit and think about her, but about life in general and how beautiful it is to be there by the river, because it really was one of her favorite places.”

Wilkinson said he plans to spend a lot of time at Sandy Davis Memorial Roscoe Riverview Park — and hopes other residents will, too.

“We spent a lot of time together on those river banks,” Wilkinson said. “We solved the problems of the city and the world. The other day I was down there working until 9 p.m. and there were kids on the swings, high school kids playing pickleball, families fishing at the boat ramp and feeding ducks. It was crowded. It was really crowded. That’s exactly what Sandy wanted to see. She would have been impressed.”