Francis J. Davis

IN MEMORY OF
FRANCIS J. “BUD” DAVIS

BORN
June 23, 1919
Seattle, Washington
PASSED AWAY
February 24, 2008
Bloomington, Illinois

MEMORIAL SERVICE
1:30 P.M. Saturday
April 19, 2008
First Presbyterian Church,
Paullina, Iowa
Rev. Andrew Hilla ~ officiating

CONGREGATIONAL HYMN
Pg. 29 “Wonderful Words of Life”
MUSIC
“In The Garden”
“Because He Lives”
Sung by: Jack Grosvenor
Organist: Kay Grosvenor

HONORARY CASKET BEARERS
Kirk Mitchell Ronald Long
Jay Ewoldt Art Ewoldt
Paul Ewoldt Kirk Ewoldt

FINAL RESTING PLACE
Graveside Service:
Saturday, April 19, 2008 at 1:00 P.M.
at the Prairie View Cemetery in Paullina, Iowa
Military rites by the:
Russell West Post of the American Legion of Paullina

After the memorial service relatives and friends are invited to join the family in the fellowship hall of the church.

Arrangements under the care of the
Gaudian-Eldridge Funeral Home

Memorials may be sent to the First Presbyterian Church, Paullina, IA
or the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) http://www.aicr.org

FRANCIS J. “BUD” DAVIS
Mr. Francis J. “Bud” Davis, 88, of Bloomington, IL, died February 24, 2008 at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Bloomington, IL
Bud Davis was born June 23, 1919 in Seattle, Washington, the son of the late Frank R. and H. Agnes (Laugherne) Davis. Following graduation from West Seattle High School, he began his career in the housewares business, working for Schwabacher Hardware Co. and then Boeing Aircraft Company of Seattle, WA. In December 1941, he left Boeing Aircraft to enlist as a private in the U.S. Army Air Force. Assigned to the 39th Fighter Group, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant before being selected to attend Officer’s Candidate School.
Bud was commissioned a 2 nd Lieutenant and assigned to the 475th Fighter Group of the U.S. Army Air Force in the South Pacific. It was there that he met – and married – American Army nurse, Mary Ann Ewoldt. They were married in Sydney, Australia on July 7, 1944. Having served four years in the South Pacific, Bud left the Army at the rank of Captain. Following the war (1945), Bud returned to civilian life in Seattle where his family grew with the birth of his two children, Kandy Ann and Brian John. Bud renewed his housewares career in Seattle too, first with Westinghouse Electric Supply and then Proctor Electric Company in 1950 as a district manager. His career with Proctor took him to Los Angeles and Philadelphia where he became Vice President and General Sales Manager of the Proctor-Silex Corp. Appliance Division in December 1964. He retired from SCM Corp-owned Proctor-Silex in 1974 as Vice President of Sales. Bud will be remembered for nurturing the careers of many in the housewares business. Bud and Mary first retired to their newly renovated lake home on Thaggert’s Lake in Whispering Pines, NC. There, Bud delighted in entertaining friends, family and grandchildren. Grandpop loved taking his grandkids out boating, fishing and “golf ball hunting”. Bud, an avid golfer, also loved watching ACC basketball games and honing his woodworking and carving skills. In 1988, Bud traded the sandhills of North Carolina for the cornfields of Mary Ann’s hometown - Paullina, IA. Bud was quickly absorbed into community activities, working with the Economic Development Board, the town golf club, American Legion, Lion’s Club, and the First Presbyterian Church.
After five-years of Iowa winters, they were off to the warmer climes of Tower Point Resort in Mesa, AZ where Bud settled into life on “E” Street. There, he lent his creative and management talents to the lapidary and silversmithing shop, the Squires club and Tower Point Chapel. Most recently, Bud and Mary moved to Bloomington, IL where they could be close to family in IL and MN. Bud continued his love of reading and jewelry making. Bud, always quick to break into song, will lovingly be remembered for his fantastic sense of humor, optimistic outlook on life, generosity with time and talents, and his devotion to family.
Mr. Davis is survived by his wife, Mary Ann (Ewoldt) Davis, of Bloomington, IL; his daughter Kandy Ann Mitchell and her husband Doug Schultz of Brooklyn Center, MN; his son, Brian J. Davis and his wife Angela of Bloomington, IL and two grandchildren Kirk (Julie) Mitchell and Brooke (Ron) Long, and four great grandchildren Eliot & William Mitchell and Mitchell and Sydney Long.