Happiness out of heartbreak
Kansas City Life Insurance Company associate Tiffany Davis learned to deal with adversity, and rise above it thanks to the power of life insurance.
How the Davis family rebounded thanks to the wonders of life insurance
Life insurance helps the Davis family during their most pressing time
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t age 16, Kansas City Life Insurance Company associate Tiffany Davis was barely old enough to comprehend the magnitude of a family tragedy that would forever Dessie B. Davis and his youngest of four alter her life. children, Tiffany. Dessie’s untimely death Back then, has weighed heavily on Tiffany. She was just Tiffany lived 16 when he passed away. a normal, happy life. Her mother, Rose, and father, Dessie, both worked diligently to support her and her three siblings, but often had difficulty making ends meet. But at age 16, Tiffany wasn’t really aware of any of that. She was just happy to have her family. It wasn’t until tragedy struck the Davis family that Tiffany discovered just how much her parents had struggled. Tiffany’s father, Dessie, spent most of his life working for General Motors, doing everything from operating forklifts to constructing dashboards and car radios. After three decades of dedication to GM, Dessie finally saved enough to retire in 1997. Less than a year later, he was rushed to a Kansas City-area hospital complaining of stomach pain. He entered the hospital on a Monday, and died less than one week later from a rare gastrointestinal condition. He was 54 years old. “I went numb for two weeks,” Tiffany says about her father’s death. “I was physically present, but my brain was completely gone. “I just hate that he won’t be able to walk me and my two sisters’ down the aisle, or see his grandchildren – I just thought to myself, ‘why did this have to happen?’” “Since I go to church and I believe in God, I know he is in a better place,” she continues. “But I hate that he wasn’t able to see me graduate from high school, Form 1783
college, and the thing I think he would be most proud of is when I get my Bachelor’s degree,” Tiffany says. As the days passed, Tiffany and the rest of the Davis family wondered how they would ever get their lives back in order. They feared with Dessie’s death, their financial struggles would only increase. Then they learned of a simple twist of fate. Before Dessie’s untimely death, he carefully planned out his estate, leaving the family house, his savings and, most importantly, two separate life insurance policies to his widow, Rose, and his four kids. The life insurance policies were part of his retirement package through GM and a benefit of being a U.S. Army war veteran, having served in Vietnam. The proceeds from both policies helped the family pay off the family house, settle most of the family’s debts, and there was even enough left over for Dessie’s survivors. “He really worked hard to take care of us,” Tiffany says. The Davis family still owns the house today, which Tiffany says is a blessing. In fact, they have used much of Dessie’s death benefit for some maintenance and improvement on the house during the past 10 years. Today, Tiffany misses her father immensely. She’ll never forget the day he died – and she will always remember it as the first time she ever saw her mother cry. A young Tiffany is pictured with her mother, Rose, She’ll also and her two sisters. never forget how his foresight helped drastically improve her state of living. “I think that it shows how smart he was and that he wanted to take care of the people he loved. I would advise people to get life insurance because of all the grief you would have to go through without it.” 8.10L