Donald Arthur Davis

Don attended Compton College in Compton, CA where he met the love of his life, Patricia England. They were married on February 1st, 1957 in Bellflower, CA. After Compton College they both graduated from California State University Long Beach with education majors. Don and Patricia both taught elementary school in Bellflower, CA. Don and Patricia then accepted teaching positions in Bridgeport, CA where their son Paul was born in 1961. Don continued to teach in Bridgeport for some time, while Patricia stayed home with their son Paul.

In 1964 Don, Patricia and Paul moved to Merced, CA and Don taught at Merced High School. In 1967, the family adopted a daughter, they named Traci. Don continued to teach at Merced High School until he retired in 1989 at the age of 55. Their son Paul sadly passed away due to a car accident in November 1978.

During their Merced years, Don was very active in the community. He played the oboe in the Merced Symphony Orchestra as well as in the Mariposa Symphony Orchestra. He also played in his early Merced years in the Merced Junior College Band. And in his "spare time" he taught piano lessons and taught his daughter Traci to play the violin.

Don was also quite the farmer! His parents Arthur and Isabel moved to Delhi, CA around 1964 also and built a beautiful family farm house and had an almond orchard which they harvested and sold the almonds to Blue Diamond Almonds. There was also a small vineyard on the farm and they harvested and sold raisins to Sun Maid. There was never a dull moment in Don's life after he retired as there proved to be lots of work to be done on the farm year round.

Don also loved accompanying his wife Patricia to her many Order of Eastern Star meetings and functions over the course of many years. He even became an honorary escort to Patricia through the chapter in Merced.

Don was an AVID hiker and backpacker and that was his passion in life! At the age of 70 he hiked the Appalachian Trail all by himself! His wife Patricia would drive along the route and meet up with Don every 10 days to stay one night in a clean motel room and replenish his supplies. He also spent the last 12 years doing "section-hiking" on the Pacific Crest Trail. He only had about 100 miles to finish in Washington to actually complete the entire trail.

Don would take anyone who would go with him on an overnight backpacking trip (or longer!) to his beloved Sierra Nevada mountains. It was such a thrill to him to see others enjoying what he loved to do so much.

Don is preceded in death by his parents, Arthur and Isabel Davis of Delhi, his beloved wife Patricia Davis (they were married for 57 years at the time of her passing), his son Paul Davis, his two brothers, Quinn and Blake Davis and his nephew, Christopher Davis.

Don is survived by his daughter, Traci Davis, who resides in Huntington Beach, CA, his brother, Clyde Davis and sister-in-law, Frances Davis of Sonora, CA, his niece Rachel Ross-Davis of Alabama and his niece Katherine Ide, her husband Jason, and their two daughters. Mikayla and Liliana of El Dorado, CA.

Don's Celebration of Life is going to be held on Saturday, April 24th, 2021 at 11am at Stratford Evans Funeral Home at 1490 B St. in Merced, CA.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.stratfordevansfunerals.com for the Davis family.