Obituary of Clifton Davis

Clifton Davis died peacefully at home December 26th, 2023. An ugly disease, Lewy Body Dementia kept him from what he loved most – fishing, growing dahlias, making blueberry pancakes, watching the sunrise with a hot cup of Folgers, barbequing and fish frying for his friends and family.

Cliff was born March 5, 1956 in Lubbock, TX to Frankie Joe Davis and Laura Lucille Lansdowne Davis. Like most Texans, he fished religiously, played football and baseball, and attended Baptist church - none of which prevented his eventual transformation into a West Coast hippie. He spent his youth in and out of trouble, picking his own switch for whoopins, and listening to rock n’ roll.

Cliff graduated from Frenship High School and briefly attended Texas Tech before attempting to join the army. Turned away for asthma, Cliff took a bus to Dallas to lie his way in. In 1975, during basic training at Fort Polk, LA he met Robert Kolowitz. Both were stationed at Fort Lewis, WA where they were partners in mischief and became lifelong friends. Cliff’s army service was cut short the night he was run over while riding his motorcycle. Honorably discharged after two years, he worked for USPS, as a taxi driver, and a construction worker to name a few. No matter the job, work was always a “four letter word”.

One Friday the 13th in the 80’s Cliff married Dawn Bell with whom he had two daughters, Melissa and Amanda. Girl dad proud, he proclaimed “it takes a real man to knock the balls off ‘em.” Cliff shared his love of gardening, fishing, good BBQ, and his wonder of the natural world with his kids and grandkids. Thankfully, his love of fried baloney sandwiches skipped a generation.

Cliff was a proud member of AA for 33 years. It was at an AA sponsored dance where he met the love of his life, Jennifer Faker. Cliff and Jenny married on April 4th, 1999 in Tacoma, WA. Like a pair of lovestruck teenagers, they were rarely apart. They enjoyed seeing national parks, fishing, visiting Seaside, and soaking up the Hawaiian sun. Cliff loved Jenny with his whole heart, which was roughly the size of Texas.

Cribbage was Cliff’s favorite game. You might be one of his fallen opponents, forced to watch as he sniffed the air asking if you smelled a skunk. Cliff regretted teaching Amanda to play since losing to his kid was humbling. But he persevered, going on to win the title of Crib King at his first Faker Family reunion. Not satisfied to be mere royalty, Cliff defied the odds (1 in 216,580) and played the ever elusive “29 Hand”.

Cliff is predeceased by his dad, Frank, his mom, Laura, and his baby brother Paul. He is survived by his wife, Jenny Davis, daughters Amanda Starnes (Ryan) and Melissa Slocum (Josh), his stepsons Jake and Ryan Bowman, grandkids Harper and Maisie Slocum, brother, Ricky Davis, sister Julie Davis Rylant (Danny), and countless friends and family members across the country.

Per his wishes, we are having a small family gathering to spread his ashes on Mount Rainier. In lieu of flowers, Dad would suggest you catch a bass, drink some coffee, and love on your loved ones. We’ll leave you with some of his favorite words of wisdom “Early to bed, early to rise, fish all day, make up lies!