Carl Lee Davis, 92, of Savoy died Thursday, September 14, 2017 at Willowbrook Care Center, Savoy, IL.
Mr. Davis was born September 20, 1924, in Dunnville, Kentucky. He was the son of Lillard and Ella Davis. He married Beulah Witt on December 27, 1947 in Jamestown, Kentucky. She survives. Carl and Beulah celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on December 27, 2016. Carl and Beulah supported one another in earning advanced degrees PhD (Carl) and Master’s in Elementary Education (Beulah). Family was the centerpiece of their lives.
Survivors also include four of his five children and their families: Patricia Askew (Larry) of Champaign; Paula Edwards (Rick) of Boise, ID; Alice Parvin of Fredericksburg, VA; Roger Davis (Lisa) of Advance, NC; and beloved former daughter-in-law Linda Weatherford Davis of Centre, AL. In addition to his children, he leaves twelve grandchildren; Jennifer Bomian of Centre, Al.; Jeffrey Scott Edwards of Jamestown, NC; Wendy Weir of Hickory, NC; Amy Edmonds of Scottsdale, AZ; Patrick Scott Edwards of Champaign, Il; Lindsey Bryant of Piedmont, Al; Alison Askew Dial of Mahomet, Il; Maxwell J. Parvin of Lexington, SC; Elizabeth A. Davis of Memphis, TN; Katherine M. Davis of Charlotte, NC; Jonathon W. Davis of Advance, NC., twenty great-grandchildren, and four great-great grandchildren. He is also survived by sisters Hazel Norman of Sunman, IN; Gladys Jesse of Columbia, KY; and brother Herbert Davis of Dunnville, KY. Mr. Davis was preceded in death by his parents; his sisters Ruth Patten and Ruby Davis and brothers Ray Davis and Earl Davis, all of Casey County, KY. His son, Phil, and grandson, Ricky, also preceded him in death.
Mr. Davis enlisted in the US Navy in March 1943 and served during World War II aboard the USS Nehenta Bay, an escort aircraft carrier, from April 1944 to January 1946 in the Pacific theater. He was honorably discharged on February 24, 1946 as Seaman Second Class and returned to Casey County, KY. He later served in the US Army ROTC as a 2nd Lieutenant from January 1950 to April 1956.
He earned his Bachelor’s degree at Western Kentucky in 1952; his Master’s degree in Dairy Nutrition at the University of Kentucky in 1955; and his PhD in Ruminant Nutrition at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1959. He joined the UIUC Dairy Science faculty in 1959 where he served for 27 years.
Dr. Davis was awarded the American Feed Manufacturers top researcher award in 1971, the Paul A. Funk Award from the UIUC College of Agriculture for service to Illinois agriculture through excellence in teaching and service, research and extension work in 1976. He earned the coveted Borden Award for outstanding research in 1983. Dr. Davis retired from the University of Illinois in 1985 after 27 years of teaching and research. He was Faculty Advisor for fifteen MS and twelve PhD students in Dairy Science. Many of them attribute their career success to Dr. Davis’ mentorship. During his tenure in the UIUC College of Agriculture, Dr. Davis also reviewed more than 200 scientific papers during his service on the editorial board of the Journal of Dairy Science. Additionally, Dr. Davis lectured extensively throughout the United States and Canada. Following retirement, he served for 12 years as Scientific Advisor to Milk Specialties Company for which he previously had conducted numerous research projects. He formulated product that Milk Specialty Systems manufactured and sold to correct water imbalance in calves. Of all his passions, his grandchildren, great grandchildren and great-great grandchildren were his favorites. He treated everyone special, whether it was perching them atop the refrigerator and for a “jump” to the Humpty Dumpty rhyme, playing “kick the can”, or setting up croquet in the backyard. Grilled hamburgers, popsicles and especially watermelon were expected at the summer gatherings and he always delivered! Carl enjoyed sharing his love of fishing with his children, grandchildren, friends, and extended family. He even expanded his fishing opportunities to his workplace, The Nutrition Field Lab at the “Round Barns” on the southern reaches of the University of Illinois campus. He founded the Nutrition Field Lab Fishing Club (NFLFC) where he proudly accepted his title of “Flounder”. The club made numerous fishing excursions and particularly enjoyed Carl’s old fishing holes along Green River in Casey County, Kentucky. Many a day was spent enjoying Lake Shelbyville on the Mark Twain tri-hull fishing/ski boat. Carl enjoyed nothing more than skiing graduate students or his family members around the lake after a morning of fishing. In his later years Carl enjoyed organizing, along with his brother Herbert, the annual Davis Reunion which often drew more than 100 family members to Casey County, Kentucky for food, fun and of course, the giant water slide and snipe hunt.
Carl was a lifelong Cubs fan and was delighted when the Cubs won the World Series in 2016. He proudly wore their champion’s t-shirt and cap. Carl and his wife Beulah were one of five families to begin the Garden Hills Southern Baptist Church as a mission from Temple Baptist Church. They were always active in the church as Sunday School teachers, youth leaders and Carl was a Deacon for many years. In recent years, they were members of Bible Baptist Church in Champaign.
Services will be held at Morgan Memorial Home, 1304 Regency Drive West Savoy, IL. Graveside funeral services will be held at 11:00AM on Tuesday, October 3, 2017, at Green River Valley Separate Baptist Church, Rheber, Kentucky.
Memorials may be made to the Wounded Warrior Project or the Bible Baptist Church, Champaign, IL.
Local arrangements entrusted to McKinney-Brown Funeral Home, Liberty, KY.
