Diane E. Davis; helped start Eagles eye unit

Diane E. Boyd Davis, 70, of West Oak Lane, a school-nurse supervisor who helped initiate the Eagles Eye Mobile program, died Thursday, June 24, of a heart attack at home.

In 1996, Mrs. Davis was a school-nurse supervisor for the Philadelphia School District when Eagles Youth Partnership, the team's charitable wing, launched its Eye Mobile. The vehicle, a roving doctor's office, provides free eye exams and prescription eyeglasses for schoolchildren in the Philadelphia and Chester-Upland districts.

For several years after retiring in 1997, Mrs. Davis was a consultant for the Eagles Eye Mobile program, coordinating school visits.

By 2006, the Eye Mobile had examined more than 16,200 students. Mrs. Davis told an Inquirer reporter that year: "We have so many children uninsured and underinsured. The Eye Mobile has been wonderful because it helps so many youngsters, and even if surgery is needed, if there is no other way to pay for it, the Eagles Youth Partnership handles it."

Mrs. Davis grew up in South Philadelphia and graduated from Philadelphia High School for Girls. After graduating from Episcopal Hospital School of Nursing in 1960, she began working as a nurse in the Philadelphia School District. She later earned a bachelor's degree from Antioch College and a master's degree in health education from Beaver College, now Arcadia University.

An avid traveler, Mrs. Davis visited Europe and Africa and enjoyed annual summer vacations in Aruba with her husband, Frederick Davis. Last year, they received a Goodwill Ambassador of Aruba award from the island's tourism office in honor of their 20th visit. They were planning to return to Aruba in August, he said.

In addition to her husband, Mrs. Davis is survived by her mother, Mary Boyd; daughters Tamara, Crystal, and Karen; sons Randy, Jeffrey, and Gregory; a brother; 12 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

A funeral will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, June 30, at First African Baptist Church, 1608 Christian St., Philadelphia. Friends may call at 10 a.m. Burial will be in Eden Cemetery, Collingdale.