Robert Davies

Robert (Bob) Davies passed away peacefully on July 28, 2023, at the Banner Del Webb Medical Center in Sun City West, Arizona with family by his side.  He was 98 years old.

Robert was born on December 22, 1924, in Oak Park, Illinois, the son of William Edward and Cora Summerville Davies.  During the Great Depression, his family moved to Keokuk County, Iowa. He graduated from Webster High School in 1942 and later received a degree from the Coyne Electrical Trade School in Chicago.  

In 1943, Robert was inducted into the U.S. Army where he served as a field wire chief, infantry rifleman, and squad leader.  He was assigned to the 27th Infantry Division, 105th Infantry, 3d Battalion, Company L during the Pacific Theatre Ryukyus Campaign of WWII.  His first combat assignment was the assault on Tsugen Shima on April 10, 1945.  After the 3d Battalion completed its mission to clear and secure the island on April 11, Robert was on a ship headed to Okinawa.  There, he was wounded near Iso on April 20 in the fight for the Pinnacles and again on April 26 as the 105th Infantry pushed to the southern edge of Nakama.  The latter injuries, caused by a grenade explosion, required hospitalization and rehabilitation on Saipan.  When he recovered, he returned to his outfit in time for the occupation of Japan and was honorably discharged in 1946 as a Staff Sergeant.

Robert was awarded the Good Conduct Medal, the Combat Infantry Badge and the Bronze Service Arrowhead for the initial assault on Tsugen Shima, and the Purple Heart with a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster for injuries sustained on Okinawa.

After his discharge, Robert worked as an electrician and electrical power generation and distribution project manager.  It was a career that he greatly enjoyed and for which he was well respected.  When he retired from Sargent and Lundy, a full-service architect engineering firm, after 20 years of employment, he had managed the construction of industrial plants and electrical generating plants in Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois, Louisiana, Texas, Colorado, and Ohio.  And, for almost 72 years, he was a proud member of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).

Robert married Elizabeth (Betty) Axmear of Keswick, Iowa on June 22, 1947, and she remained the love of his life for 76 years.  Robert is survived by Elizabeth; son William, his wife Kathleen, and their five children, David, Gwendolyn, Merry, Brenda, and Robert (Andy); son John, his wife Page, and their two children,  Joseph and Christine; and daughter Christine, her husband Paul Schlaudraff, and their three children, Paul, Kathryn, and Mark; sister Olwen and her husband Jerald Reece; 10 great-grandchildren; and many loving nieces, nephews, and friends.  He was predeceased by his parents William Edward and Cora Summerville Davies.

An adventurer at heart, Robert climbed mountains, flew planes, and enjoyed hunting, fishing, alpine skiing and cross-country biking with his children and friends.  He never knew a stranger, had a quick wit and twinkle in his eyes for anyone who caught his meaning, and he loved taking toddling grandchildren by the hand for a walk and treating his older grandchildren to a sweet treat whenever the opportunity presented itself.  He talked with Jesus as a friend, and his memory was impeccable to his last day. He was honest, disciplined, bright, funny, humble, gentle, loving, and kind, and our hero will be greatly missed. 

A committal service will be held in his honor on Friday, November 3, 2023, 1 pm. at the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona where he will be interred immediately following the service. 

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