Kathryn W. Davis | Philanthropist, 106

Kathryn Wasserman Davis, 106, a globe-trotting philanthropist who provided the start-up funds that her husband, Shelby Cullom Davis, used to become one of America's most successful investors, has died.

She died Tuesday at her home in Hobe Sound, Fla., her family said. No cause was given.

Ms. Davis' father, Joseph Wasserman, was the longtime chairman of the Artloom Corp. of Philadelphia, a maker of Wilton rugs.

His fortune survived the market crash of 1929 because he was "part of a canny minority who kept their money in government bonds," John Rothchild wrote in his 2003 book, The Davis Dynasty: Fifty Years of Successful Investing on Wall Street.

- Bloomberg News