Don Lee Davis

Don Lee Davis, 95, passed away at his home in Missoula, MT, on July 19th, 2024 from complications of frontotemporal dementia. He was surrounded by his family as he took his final breath. 

Don was born January 31, 1929 in Omaha, Nebraska, the third child of Anna and Fred Davis. He spent his formative years “on the farm” in Ithaca, Nebraska before the family relocated to California when he was a teenager. He played varsity football and graduated from Rio Vista Joint Union High School in June of 1947. In December of that year, he enlisted in the United States Air Force. He completed his aircraft powerplant and engine mechanic training at Keesler AFB in Mississippi in 1948 and his aircraft instrument mechanic certification at Chanute AFB in Illinois in 1949. He was promoted to staff sergeant and served in the 1st Strategic Support Squadron at Biggs AFB in Texas. He completed his private pilot training in El Paso, Texas in June of 1950. He was honorably discharged from the USAF in December of 1951 after which he began his career as a flight engineer for American Airlines in 1952. While on a one year furlough from American, he hired on at Riddle Airlines and flew cargo planes around the world. Returning to American Airlines, he remained with the company, based first in New York City and subsequently in San Francisco, until he retired in 1993 after 41 years. 

He met his wife of 60 years while they were both working for American Airlines, she as a “stewardess”, and they were married on Valentine’s Day in 1964. Their honeymoon consisted of flying across the country from New York to California in their Cessna 170 and the early years of their marriage included many happy flights together in the 170 to interesting locations, including Alaska, the San Juan Islands, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Nebraska. They settled in Pleasanton, CA, where they built their first home and hangared the Cessna at Livermore Municipal airport. In 1974 they welcomed their only child, Heather, and the family was complete. 

Anyone who knew Don knows that he had a life-long passion for flying. He was never happier than when he was in the air in his beloved Cessna 170, at the hangar working on the airplane, or talking to other flight enthusiasts. He always said that he felt as if he had never worked a day in his life as his professional career was the embodiment of his great passion: aviation. He was a meticulous pilot, never forgetting a checklist item or pre-flight inspection. His personality was suited to the demands of being a flight engineer as well as a private pilot as he paid close attention to detail. He had a great deal of self discipline, evidenced by the fact that he kept a daily diary every year from when he was fifteen until his eyesight failed him in his late eighties. Every evening he would write in his diary, recording the events of the day, and every morning he would read his entry from the year before and from 10 years earlier. His diaries are an interesting window into how much our society has changed, even while some things remain the same.

As a private pilot, Don attained his instrument rating, went on to attain his airline transport pilot license in 1973 and became a certified flight instructor. He spent many happy hours doing check-rides out of Livermore airport. He was active in the Civil Air Patrol, a dedicated member of the Livermore Valley Airmen’s Association, and belonged to the AOPA, the EAA, and the International Cessna 170 Association. After retirement, Don spent a good portion of every day out at the airport, visiting with other aviators, working on his plane in the hangar and flying around the countryside. Don and Beverley took frequent cross country trips in the Cessna, flying along the Oregon Trail with a group of other 170 owners and flying out to visit Heather in Montana. He enjoyed all fly-in’s and was proud of the fact that both his wife and his daughter were also pilots. When Heather in flight training, he used to follow her in his Cessna on cross-country flights to make sure she was “going in the right direction” and would also fly low over her and Beverley when he knew they were out hiking together in Sunol, just to tip his wings in a wave once he spotted them. Don flew well into his 80’s until an unfortunate accident during landing at Livermore resulted in the total loss of the Cessna 170 in 2013. Although his physical injuries were minor, the loss of the Cessna was akin to losing a cherished family member. 

Don and Beverley moved to Montana in 2016 to be closer to Heather and spent the last years of his life surrounded by mountains and his devoted dogs in Missoula. He enjoyed visiting historic locations in Montana and spending time watching the neighborhood wildlife. He had a sweet tooth, especially for chocolate and lived up to his reputation as the “cookie monster” in that he never met a cookie he didn’t enjoy. Next to flying, he enjoyed sharing his vast knowledge of all matters involved with aviation with others who were interested. He enjoyed these conversations until the end of his life. He loved history, particularly that of the western U.S. and World War II. He was a big fan of old western movies and television shows. Heather always jokes that she was glad not to have been born a boy, as her dad was advocating for the name “Matt Dillon” if that had been the case. As it turned out she feels lucky to have escaped being named “Miss Kitty”. Don was a faithful and loving husband, father, father-in-law, uncle and friend and his absence is deeply felt by his family.

Don was preceded in death by his older brother Roy, his father and mother, his older sister Betty, his younger brother Fred, his Cessna 170 (N3826V) and many beloved pets, most recently his devoted doggie companion, Tillie. 

Don is survived by his wife, Beverley; his daughter Heather and son-in-law Paul Labbe, and many nieces and nephews. 

No service will be held and Don has been cremated according to his wishes. In his memory, donations can be made to the Humane Society of Western Montana https://myhswm.org/donate-in-memory/ or to your local animal shelter. 

Next time you look up and see a small aircraft in the sky, think of Don and maybe say what he would invariably say when in that situation: “There goes one lucky son of a …”

High Flight 

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth

And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;

Sunward I’ve climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth

of sun-split clouds, - and done a hundred things

You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung

High in the sunlit silence. Hov’ring there,

I’ve chased the shouting wind along, and flung 

My eager craft through footless halls of air…

Up, up the long delirious, burning blue

I’ve topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace

Where never lark nor ever eagle flew-

And, while with silent lifting mind I’ve trod

The high untrespassed sanctity of space,

Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

• John Gillespie Magee Jr.