Henry Fred “Hank” Davis was born April 3,1937 in Westwood, California to Fred J. Davis Jr. and Alice (Rosecrans) Davis. He died peacefully and surrounded by loved ones in Lahaina, Maui, Hawaii after a heroic battle with cancer.
He is survived by his wife of 17 years, Barbara Williams, and 11 children from his first marriage to Joan DeVor, (1937-2021): Deborah Merrill (Doug)of Bend, OR; Paul (Karyn) of Port Levy, New Zealand; Jenny Lopiccolo (Mark) of Carson City; Chris (Rebecca) of Ashland, OR; Maureen DeTar (Francis) of Coeur D’Alene, ID; Mark (Dawn) of Mill Valley, CA; Juliana O’Hare (Jim) of Reno; Alyssa Davis (Jamie Milbauer) of Haiku, HI; Henry “Matt” (Lucy) of Ruston, WA; Michael (Jessica) of Honolulu, HI; Daniel (Gretchen) of Sandy, UT; and his daughter from his second marriage (Robin Johnson): Anne Ray (Jeremiah) of Trabuco Canyon, CA.
He is also survived by siblings Dorothy Mason, Marka Hemphill, Bonnie Ozaki-James, and Paul Davis. Hank leaves 32 grandchildren and 25 great-grandchildren (and counting!), and three stepchildren: Morgan Lynn-Alesker, Katherine Williams Kuckenbaker and Timothy Williams.
Henry graduated from Lassen High, Susanville, CA, in 1955. He received his BA in Medical Sciences from Stanford in 1959 and his doctorate from Stanford Medical School, with honors, in 1962. He was commissioned as a Naval Officer, completed an internship at Oakland Naval Hospital, then reported for flight surgeon training in Pensacola, FL., followed by training on the F-4B Phantom II, in San Diego, CA. He was deployed and flew missions off The USS Coral Sea and The USS Constellation during the Vietnam War. On his last cruise, he was promoted and received orders to serve as an instructor at the Navy Fighter Weapons School, (popularly known as TOPGUN), at Miramar Naval Academy in San Diego.
After completing his service, and a residency in Family Medicine at Contra Costa County Hospital in Martinez, CA, he moved with his family to Carson City, NV. Hank established a respected family medical practice and was beloved in the community as a top physician for 20 years, delivering over 1,000 babies, and caring for patients of all ages.
Hank kept flying with the military through the Nevada Air Guard, and in 1988 he returned to active duty with the Air Force. He was stationed at Beale AFB, then served as Hospital Commander in the Azores, Portugal, and finally settled in Maryland at Andrews Air Force Base, where he was Commander of Medical Operations and Medical Advisor to the Secretary of the Air Force. He retired from the Air Force in 2002 as a Colonel and moved to Tacoma, WA, where he eased into full retirement by working as a consultant for the Army Disability Board.
Hank’s work as a flight surgeon is memorialized as part of a special exhibit at The Museum of Flight in Seattle, where he volunteered as a docent for years after “retirement”. His extensive teaching careers included faculty positions in three medical schools and he launched many physician careers, including those of two of his children, Matt and Annie, and grandson Rory DeTar - making five generations of doctors in the family. He was active in his church and will be remembered for his bass singing in the choir at Christ Episcopal Church in Tacoma. Hank was a passionate sailor, gardener, fly fisherman, cook, world traveler, an avid reader and until the end, completed a crossword puzzle each morning.
Of his many accomplishments, Hank was most proud of his large, rambunctious, and loving family and was devoted to his wife, Barbara, all of whom will miss him immensely and will share his legacy with future generations. We wish him fair winds and following seas on his journey to heaven, where he will surely raise a toast to a life well-lived.
A memorial celebration is planned for a later date in Tacoma, Washington.