Verne Ray Davis was born on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, 1936, to Florence and Frank Davis in Sequim, Washington. The Davis family moved to Jackson Prairie where Verne attended elementary school and then moved to Randle where Verne attended high school at White Pass. After graduating from high school, he worked in the northern reaches of Canada at a logging camp where he battled some wayward bears before returning to Randle and marrying Gale.
In 1965, Verne and Gale bought the remains of the Music family homestead in the Cispus Valley, with the spectacular view of Tower Rock out of their front window. There they raised a family of three children: Darrell, Robert, and Suzanne. When the family was young, Verne joined his Dad to help run the Davis and Son shingle mill on Silver Creek. Verne managed to keep all of his fingers intact, which was a rarity among those that trimmed cedar shingles for very long. Maybe that was why Verne focused more on sawing shakes: easier on the digits! After a few tough work years where Verne supported the family with logging jobs in Alaska in the winter, he found his true calling as an exceptional timber faller and was ultimately able to build this into a successful contracting business. His talent with a chain saw was most evident when cutting road right-of-ways, which entailed the precise felling of trees within the designated roadway boundaries regardless of the terrain, wind and leaning preference of the trees. There was real artistry in the way that Verne fell timber with speed and precision in those demanding circumstances.
Verne and Gale took great pleasure in camping trips throughout Washington and Oregon. They were fearless in the early days, packing up three little kids to go tent camping on the Olympic Peninsula in the typically atrocious “summer weather.” Verne was always keen to organize and lead fishing trips whether it was a local trout adventure up Greenhorn Creek where he had to pack a very young Bob out through the devil clubs, or a salmon fishing trip with Darrell and Bob at Neah Bay where the ocean waves were many times taller than the boat. Verne never got seasick, but Darrell always did. Perhaps this was the strongest testament to the boys' love of their Dad that they would always line up for another fishing trip, and they never had to be talked into wood-cutting trips. Work was always more fun with Verne leading the way, and Bob also became an excellent timber cutter working alongside his dad. Bob took over the family timber cutting business and in addition he was responsible for looking after Verne in the last few years.
Gale and Verne began to spend their summers on the Washington coast at Long Beach where they purchased an RV park that Gale ran with Verne’s help from 1984 until they sold the property in 2004. During those years, Gale and Verne split their time between the Cispus and Long Beach where they both enjoyed salmon fishing at Ilwaco and made many friends at the RV park.
The family is extremely grateful to Beth and her assistants at the Heart of Gold adult family home in Morton where Verne spent his last two months before peacefully passing away. Verne is survived by his sisters, Donna Masterson and Norma Edman, who both live in Eugene, Oregon; sons, Darrell (Karla) and Bob (Katy); and his granddaughter, Kylie Marie Davis. Verne was preceded in death by his wife, Gale; his parents; and his daughter, Suzanne.
A memorial service to honor Verne’s life will be held at 11 a.m. Feb. 25 at the Glenoma Fire Hall.
