Monthly Archives: August 2010

The Life of Jack Davis

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It’s pretty incredible, this chance we have. This chance we have called life. We can decide many things and choose many paths. It’s like those “Choose Your Own Adventure” books I used to read as a kid only with virtually infinite options that only expand and collapse depending on the door you decide to open. Well, my dad had the kind of life that is more like “lives”. He had so many incarnations. He was a farmer, construction worker, mayor, softball pitcher and coach, small business owner, lawyer, father, husband,brother, son, and so much more. Well, let’s let him tell you. He wrote his own obituary and you all are the first to see it.

1/23/1948 – 8/14/2010
Age: 62

Residence: Greeley

I was born in Meeker, Colorado on January 23, 1948 to Herbert Lester Davis and Iris Florane Lovelace. My family and I lived in a log cabin on my grand-dad’s homestead for a little over three years. In my third year, my brother Edwin L. Davis was born and we moved to Portland, Oregon because Dad had been called up for the Korean Conflict.

We lived in Portland, Oregon for six years until we moved back to Colorado when I was about nine years old. I graduated from Meeker High School in 1966. Later that year, I joined the Army Security Agency as an analyst. I left the Army in 1969 and worked in farming and construction until the early 1970’s when I moved to Greeley, Colorado.

In Greeley I started and ran a successful lawn care company called Davis Lawn Care for over 20 years. In 1976 I met the love of my life, Charlotte G. LeBlanc. I finally persuaded her to marry me on July 4, 1978. All of the really great things in my life have come from Char including my two children. Cassandra Iris (Cassie) was born on July 18, 1980 and Justin Tyler on September 8, 1985. Our family moved to Nunn, Colorado in 1991 where we renovated and lived in the old school house there until 2007.

I finally graduated from the University of Northern Colorado in 1995. In 1998 I graduated from the University of Wyoming: College of Law; the same year Cassie graduated from Highland High School and Char received her Master’s Degree from UNC.

Much to my enormous happiness, Cassie married Britton L. Kauffman on August 6, 2005.

I practiced law in Weld County and was a member of the Weld County Bar Association until I became too ill to continue my practice in 2008. One of my greatest honors in life was to be a member of that Bar Association and to practice law in Colorado. In 2004 I was presented with the A. Andrew Borg Award for my volunteer Pro Bono services in support of Weld County Legal Services.

I was preceded in death by my mother, father and brother. I am survived by my wife, children, half brother, Bill Davis, niece, Madison Davis, mother-in-law, Grace LeBlanc and many friends.

I also leave an open chair in my monthly poker game with some of my best friends and the best card players in Greeley.

-JFD

John F. (Jack) Davis passed away on Saturday morning, August 14, 2010 in Greeley after a long battle with cancer under care by Hospice. Memorial Services will be held on Saturday, August 21st at UNC’s University Center Columbine Suites at 2pm. Condolences may be sent to: http://www.stoddardsunset.com. Memorial donations may be made to Hospice and Palliative Care of Northern Colorado, Inc.

Update***Today, August 18, the  Greeley Tribune published his obituary***

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in memoriam

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Today I lost my best friend. My biggest fan. My father.  Indescribable pain. No words. Just love and pain and floods of memories.

Dad, like I said when you left today by my side, I love you. I love you love you love you…till my heart falls out of my chest. I love you.

If you have Internet in Heaven, you can check on us here every now and then, too ok?

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Dad’s Casino Night Hurrah

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My dad , Jack Davis, has always enjoyed gambling, especially craps and poker. In the last couple of weeks he had talked about all of us getting together and going to Central City or Blackhawk to gamble. They are the two cities in Colorado that allow public gambling -although there are many more restrictions than you would find, at say, Vegas.

In the last few days, however, his health has gotten so bad that he can hardly speak or walk and even with the morphine you can tell he’s still uncomfortable to say the least. But when the Hospice nurse visited the last time he stopped her on her way out and asked if she could get him a craps table. She said that she would. And they did! (Hospice has been great.)


The Craps Table

The only thing was that they thought Dad might have to go into the hospital and so time was a huge factor. We had to do this now if we were going to do it. We also had to find a place to put a craps table. While my house is not huge, it does have the most useable space in the family right now. So, we decided to pull together a last minute casino night party at my house to honor Dad’s wishes.


Dad playing craps with friends

It was a little stressful trying to call and email and facebook everyone to see if they could make it  to a party in the middle of the work week with only one day’s notice, but it came together. I would bet we had 40-45 people in our house last night. We had great food, drinks and the younger kids loved playing outside with the chickens.


My brother Justin and his girlfriend Jacqueline -and lots of food

I think Dad had a great time. I hadn’t seen him so animated and involved in something as he was in that craps game in a long time. And he came out a big winner too! Many people (including me) didn’t know how to play craps and so we also had a poker group playing downstairs.


More craps

It was so special to see so many friends and family come and visit him. We asked people to write in a memory book about him and you could tell by what people wrote how special he had been to them. Some people, like the Fitzgeralds, he has known since before he knew my mom. Others he had worked with in his law practice or when he owned the lawn business. Some, like our neighbors the Sandovals, shared memories of living next door and helping to raise us kids (or growing up together). We had people who knew me like my school and work friends, but got to know Dad. People my mom had worked with met him through her. Even Britton’s friends and family have come to know and love Dad. He is just that kind of person.

It was like an episode of “This is Your Life”. And all the inter-connections were amazing. People knew each other in a round about way who we didn’t know -in this area it’s not 6 degrees of separation, it’s more like 2!


My brother and I (right) standing with the Sandovals, our next door neighbors growing up

And Dad was such a connecting link like that. He was always kind to people he met and did it with such a sense of humor you couldn’t help but like him -and remember him. He always saw the potential and the good in people. I just can’t believe he will be gone soon…Much too soon.


Some of my mom’s friends

But I am also glad we were able to throw him a last hurrah of sorts. And it was wonderful to see the outpouring of love and support from so many friends and family. Thanks to you all for making it a night that we won’t soon forget.

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Almost Through the Ugly Part

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We’ve been working on our rental pushing really hard to get it done in only 2-3weeks with the goal of having it rented by September 1! We took some time off of work to do it, but now we are back to work and have all of our other responsibilities in addition to working on the rental. BUT we are over the hump. We are almost through the ugly part.

In a remodel, as in life, sometimes you have to go through ugly parts to see the beauty underneath. This house wasn’t too bad to start with so it was a real struggle for us whether or not we wanted to do a complete renovation or just a minor refurbishing. We decided to do it the way we would want it if we were to live there.

But in the process, you make things really, really messy and ugly. Britton tore out all the cabinets, cut a hole in the wall in the bathroom in order to put a showerhead up, pulled out the bathroom vanity and toilet so tile could go there. The only outside help we hired is for tile installation (but we still picked out, bought and delivered all the tile) and the floor refinishing. Everything else (painting, installing cabinets, cutting and installing the countertops, trim, new faucets, etc, etc) was done by us!


Making it ugly (Bathroom)


In order to make it pretty (almost finished!)

I really love doing these rentals. I think it’s because it’s like life. You go through so many frustrations, and joys all in the same project. You are able to have both end goals and process goals all in one. (The end goal being having the house remodeled and someone renting it, the process goals being all the stuff to get there, the checklist of items-showers, tile, floors, painting).

There can be a real sense of accomplishment and achievement. You learn as you go. You try your best. You make mistakes, and try again. You want to make things a little better for you having been there.  And you want to get ahead; you want to keep moving forward. And sometimes when it looks so ugly that you just want to give up, you have to look deep inside and find the strength to push just a little harder, a little further, and it will all be worth it and beautiful in the end.


Making it uglier than before we started (kitchen)


Nearly complete -and looking good

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