- Date Of Birth: June 20, 1939
- Date Of Death: September 20, 2019
- State: Indiana
Patrick William Davis, 80, of Anderson, Indiana, passed away on Friday evening, September 20, 2019, at Community Hospital in Anderson due to complications from pneumonia. Pat was born at Good Samaritan Hospital in Vincennes, Indiana on June 20, 1939, to William and Minta Mae Nelle (nee’ Gillispie) Davis.
A 1957 graduate of Lawrenceville High School, Pat enlisted in the US Navy at the age of 17. Pat served his country in active duty from June 10, 1957, until June 3, 1960. He continued to serve in the reserves until June 9, 1963. After basic training at Naval Station Great Lakes, Pat continued his training at the Naval Air Station in Hutchinson, KS. He was then assigned to the USS Princeton (CVS-37). Pat enjoyed telling the story about how he was assigned to board the ship in Long Beach, CA. Due to processing delays, Pat missed boarding and was sent to San Francisco to board. Once again delays caused him to miss boarding. Pat finally reached the USS Princeton 10 days later in Yokosuka, Japan where he served from July 1958 until May 1960 as a Fire Control Technician. In March 1959, the USS Princeton was reclassified as an LPH-5. At the completion of his tour in May 1960, Pat disembarked the USS Princeton in Numazu, Japan. He returned to San Diego, CA on the USS Wiltsie (DD-716) as an E-4 Petty Officer Third Class. A trip to Washington DC in 1990 included a visit to the Vietnam War Memorial Wall. It was during this visit that Pat shared a few of his memories as he found the names of men with whom he had served. Pat married Ann Sprinkle on June 25, 1961, at First Christian Church in Bridgeport, IL and she survives. When he returned from the Navy, Pat worked at Cullen & Cullen Ace Recap Service retreading tires in Vincennes, IN. After working at Cullen & Cullen, Pat took a position with Montgomery Ward Auto Service Center. He then moved his growing family to Anderson in 1963 when he accepted a job to manage the Montgomery Ward Auto Service Center in preparation for the store’s April 1965 relocation to the Anderson Mounds Mall. The majority of Pat’s career was in the tire business. He was a Manager of Sales for Central Tire Sales and also owned Pat’s Tire Sales in the early 1970s. He was a sales rep for Kelly Springfield Tire Company for a period of time. Pat spent the latter half of his career as a sales rep for Cooper Tire Company before retiring in 2003. Pat will be remembered as a man with a strong work ethic who was steadfast and faithful in his provisions for his wife, children, and grandchildren up until his last moments. Pat was preceded in death by his parents.
Surviving along with his wife, Ann Davis; his sister, Diane Davis of Laurel, MD; son, Michael Davis (Rachel Anne Day) of West Lafayette, IN; and daughters, Marcia Gravely and Malinda Ashcraft of Anderson, IN. He is also survived by grandchildren, Mycah Davis (fiancé Elliott Mantock) of Seattle, WA, Joshua Smith (Rachel) of New York City, NY, Matthew Smith of Lafayette, IN, Ashley Gravely (fiancé Brandon Reynolds) of Anderson, IN, Aaron Gravely (fiancée Shelby Bisher) of West Lafayette, IN, Katherine Ashcraft of Anderson, IN Sarah Ashcraft (USN) and Megan Ashcraft of Anderson, IN.
