Sheila Davis

Sheila Davis, 72, of Independence died Jan. 17, 2026, at StoneBridge Senior Living in Chillicothe.

She received her bachelor’s degree in English and journalism from Northwest Missouri State University. She taught English and journalism at the high school in Platte City before continuing her education to earn her master’s degree from the Missouri School of Journalism.

Following a stint at a newspaper in South Carolina, she returned to Missouri to work at The Blue Springs Examiner and later became managing editor of its sister newspaper, The Examiner in Independence, in 1983.

In 1993, she left The Examiner to work at the public library in Chillicothe but returned to the newspaper in 1996. In her years at The Examiners, she helped direct a staff at both daily newspapers that at times had more than 25 people. A consistently calm and steady voice in the newsroom, she was executive editor for several years and retired in 2018.

In addition to her mother, Shyrlee Davis, she is survived by her son, Conor; siblings, Don, Susan and Dean; and many more family and friends throughout Missouri.