Obituary of William E. Davis

William Eugene “Bill” Davis formerly of Lone Tree, died Friday, June 4, 2004, at Greenwood Manor in Iowa City of complications from Alzheimer’s Disease. Funeral Services will be held 10:30 a.m. Monday, June 7, 2004, at the United Presbyterian Church in Lone Tree with the Reverend Ann Rouse and Beverly Hovenkamp officiating. Burial with military honors will be at the Lone Tree Cemetery. Visitation will be from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service in Iowa City. Memorial donations can be made in Bill’s memory to the United Presbyterian Church, Boy Scouts of America or Eastern Iowa Alzheimer’s Research Foundation. Online condolences may be sent for Bill’s family through our website @www.gayandciha.com. Bill was born February 26, 1925 in Burlington, Iowa to William Donovan and Estillene Louise Davis. He attended elementary and high school in Burlington where he graduated. He also attended Burlington Junior College and Wesleyan College in Mt. Pleasant, IA. He was inducted into the Navy on July 9, 1943 and was given an honorable discharge on April 13, 1946. He attended U.S.N. Hospital Corp School in Farragut, Idaho and Oakland, California. He served with Headquarters Company 1st Base Headquarters Battalion Civil Affairs on Guam and had temporary duty at Base Hospital 18 and U.S. Fleet Hospital 103, also on Guam. Bill worked as a Medical Technologist at St. Luke’s Hospital, Cedar Rapids; Burlington Protestant Hospital, Burlington; and the Veterans Administration Hospital in Iowa City where he saw the first patient admitted. Before retiring, he worked 21 years at the University of Iowa Hygienic Laboratory as a Parasitologist and State Public Health Microbiologist. In the spring of 1987, he was the recipient of the University of Iowa Staff Achievement Award. On August 20, 1950, he married Dorothy Irene Brokaw at the First Methodist Church in Burlington, Iowa. As a young man, Bill was an Eagle Boy Scout and received many Boy Scout Awards, including Order of the Arrow. He served as waterfront director and lifeguard at Camp Eastman and was a Boy Scout leader for troops in Burlington, Cedar Rapids, and Lone Tree. Through the years he also served as a lifeguard at other youth camps. Bill loved camping, fishing, and travelling with his family, teaching his daughters and grandchildren about the outdoors. After his retirement, he and his wife enjoyed many years of wintering in Apache Junction, Arizona. While living in Lone Tree, Bill was on the Planning and Zoning Board, was a member of the United Presbyterian Church where he served as an Elder, and was Past Commander and Chaplain of the American Legion Post #457. Bill lived in Lone Tree for 35 years and previously had lived in Burlington, Cedar Rapids, Riverside, and rural Iowa City. He and his wife moved to Iowa City in April 2000. His family includes his wife; three daughters – Judy L. (Davis) Clark and Ben, Janet I. Davis, and Kathryn R. Davis, all of Iowa City; three grandchildren – Jeffrey S. Green, Iowa City, Laura M. (Green) O'Brien and Rob, Norridge, IL., and Amy (Green) Dlouhy, Marion; one great grandson, Caleb K. Dlouhy, Iowa City; brother-in-law, Franklin E. Brokaw and wife, Nancy, Oquawka, IL.,and nieces and nephew. He was preceded in death by his parents and several aunts and uncles. Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service is caring for Bill’s family and his services.