- Date Of Birth: October 14, 1949
- Date Of Death: February 22, 2022
- State: Colorado
Robert Yazzie Davis was born October 14, 1949, in Farmington, New Mexico, and died peacefully in Castle Rock, Colorado, February 22, 2022, at age 72.
After beginning life on the Navajo reservation, he was adopted by Alma and Bart Davis. He had two brothers, Roy and Johnny, and his parents also cared for other Navajo children through foster care.
Bob grew up in Bluewater, New Mexico, with plenty of opportunities to be outdoors and explore with family and friends. He told stories of accidentally burning down the family barn and of an unsuccessful attempt at floating down the irrigation ditch on a homemade raft. No one was hurt.
Bob graduated from Grants High School in 1967, where he was on the wrestling team. He was also active in Boy Scouts, achieving the rank of Eagle Scout.
After high school, he attended New Mexico Highlands University in Las Vegas, New Mexico for a short time. He also worked for the Anaconda Company, which operated a uranium mine in the Grants area.
Bob joined the U.S. Coast Guard in 1968, having received his draft notice and not eager to be a combat soldier in Vietnam. He served as an engineman until 1972, and in the reserves until 1974. Bob had wonderful memories of being stationed in Hawaii, and of his time at sea and in foreign ports on the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Bering Strait. He didn’t avoid Vietnam entirely, being part of a shore patrol. Later, he was stationed in Corpus Christi, Texas.
Bob worked as a designer draftsman for the Gulf Oil Company, P&M Coal Mining Company, and the Chevron Corporation, which acquired Gulf and P&M. He retired from Chevron and then worked for the Gates Rubber Corporation until 2009.
After God and family, one of Bob’s great loves was softball. He played every year (spring, summer, and fall), often on multiple teams per season. Other hobbies included getting a private pilot’s license; building model airplanes, ships, and dioramas; and restoring a 1955 Chevy pickup.
Pickleball, golf, and grandchildren also kept Bob active. One of his favorite activities was going out to breakfast with his grandchildren. That tradition started almost 19 years ago.
Little known facts about Bob. He was a good cartoonist, a blood donor, and an adult violin student. He loved the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah. Bob is left-handed but bats right-handed and absolutely never swings at the first pitch. His Navajo heritage was important to him, and he participated in the intertribal dances at the Denver Pow Wows with each of his kids and grandkids.
Bob is survived by his wife Sherry, son Bobby, daughter Lisa (Eric), grandchildren Kalie, Alyssa, Felicity, Colton, Tristan, and Grayson, brother Johnny (Eliane), and many other family members. He was preceded in death by his parents, Alma and Bart Davis, and brother Roy (Pam).
