Frank L. Davis
February 9, 1923 – June 3, 2007
Frank L. “Dave” Davis, peacefully died on Sunday, June 3. He was 84.
Mr. Davis was born in Greenford, OH on February 9, 1923. He was the son of Leona Seubert and Harvey L. Davis, a clay miner, of Canfield, OH, and one of seven children. Frank is survived by the youngest and the eldest, his sister, Wilda Weaver (75) of Evansville, IN, and brother, Raymond Davis (90) of Syracuse, NY.
Mr. Davis lived a simple, yet extraordinary life. As a young man, he skillfully earned money for the family by trapping pelts for Sears & Roebuck and delivering the Grit newspaper. He graduated from Canfield High School in 1940 and was employed by the Erie Railroad as a plumber’s helper before enlisting in the U.S. Army's newest unit, the airborne infantry, in November 1942.
Mr. Davis was assigned to the 502nd Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division. Injured on his third qualification jump, he was reassigned to Company "A", 506th PIR following his recuperation. On June 6, 1944 – D-Day, he jumped into Normandy in support of the Allied invasion of Europe. On September 17, he participated in Operation Market Garden parachuting into Holland near Son. On December 19th in Belgium while leading his squad to destroy a German 88 anti-aircraft battery, Staff Sgt. Davis was severely wounded. Recovered by Corpsmen and evacuated to the 101st Division Field Hospital, he was captured by German forces when the hospital was overrun in the opening hours of the Battle of the Bulge. Transported into Germany, he was held in captivity for 99 days and pressed into forced labor repairing bomb-cratered roads and recovering civilian casualties from destroyed buildings. Locked in a cattle car for eight days by retreating German forces, he was freed by a tank squadron from Patton's 3rd Army. After a brief stay in a Paris hospital, Mr. Davis returned home to be reunited with his family and a long recovery. Mr. Davis was awarded the Purple Heart with One Oak Leaf Cluster.
While a Prisoner of War, Axis Sally read Sgt. Davis' name and hometown over shortwave radio in a propaganda broadcast that was heard by amateur radio monitors here in the States. His family received dozens of comforting penny post cards telling them this news, the first news of Sgt. Davis in over four months. The generosity of these people inspired Mr. Davis to begin a research project to identify as many short wave monitors as possible. Working together throughout the 1990's, Mr. and Mrs. Davis catalogued 429 monitors who were true Homefront Heroes. This research will be finished by the family and will be gifted to a national museum.
On August 15, 1945, V-J Day, while celebrating America's victory over Japan in the streets of Cleveland, Ohio, Mr. Davis met the love of his life, Clara Gugino. It was a storybook romance that began with a fateful kiss and endured for more than 60 years. They married in Fredonia, NY on May 4, 1946. Mrs. Davis passed away in July, 2006.
Under the GI Bill, Mr. Davis attended Tri-State College in Angola, IN, served as President of the Civil Engineering Society and earned B.S. degrees in Civil Engineering and Administrative Engineering. Upon graduation, Mr. Davis and his young bride moved to Newport, DE to work for The DuPont Company at the Engineering Department's temporary facilities over the Diver Chevrolet building on Delaware Avenue in Wilmington. A year later, he opted to work outdoors, and for the next 39 years served as a civil engineer for the Henry C. Eastburn and R.A. Boyer construction companies. Mr. Davis was the sole civil engineer for the 11-mile stretch of U.S. Route 1 between Dewey and Bethany beaches as well as the Valley Forge / U.S. 202 interchange. He also led the re-building of the Bethany Beach jetties after the March 1962 "Nor'easter." In 1961, Mr. Davis was granted a U.S. patent for inventing a “Rocket to the Moon” game board.
Mr. Davis was a dedicated community leader. In 1965, he volunteered as Cub Master of Pack 88 in Newport, rebuilding the Pack from 18 boys to 81 over the next six years. Moving to Boy Scouts with his sons, and with his loving encouragement, both sons became Eagle Scouts. Noting the absence of a memorable Eagle award ceremony, Mr. Davis designed and built a 9' eagle ceremonial display and traveled throughout the Del-Mar-Va region, making Eagle award ceremonies special occasions for 101 young men. For his exceptional service to scouting, Mr. Davis was awarded the Order of the Arrow Vigil Honor and the Silver Beaver Award. Mr. Davis also served on the Krebs School Board in Newport and later as President of the Conrad Area School Board from 1968-1972. Friends in the Newport community know Mr. Davis by his handmade Christmas display of Santa's sleigh, eight reindeer and Rudolph with the blinking red nose arranged in the front yard for the last 43 years. Many children will always cherish their photos taken while sitting in the sleigh.
Mr. Davis is survived by his two sons and their families, Robert L. and Carol Davis, of Bear, DE, and their children, Christopher L. and Leslie Davis, both of Sylvania, OH, Michelle L. Davis, of Houston, and Brian C. and Anne Marie Davis, of Fallston, MD; and John M. and Maryellen Davis, and Lisa M. Rickert, of Middletown, DE, and Chadwick Boyd, of Atlanta. Mr. Davis has written of his military experiences and favorite stories for a book he calls "Caged Eagle". The family will complete this work in his memory.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, June 9, at the DOHERTY FUNERAL HOME, 3200 Limestone Road, Wilmington, DE 19808. The family will receive visitors at 11:30 a.m., with a memorial service to follow at 12:30 p.m. Mr. and Mrs. Davis will be eternally reunited during a committal ceremony with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery on June 25 at 2 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Del-Mar-Va Council of the Boy Scouts of America – www.delmarvacouncil.org or 801 N. Washington Street Wilmington, DE 19801-1597.
To send condolences, visit www.dohertyfh.com or call (302) 999-8277.
