| Notes |
- Merritt "Bud" Talcott Davis was born in Stafford Springs, CT, on February 1, 1924 in the Johnson Memorial Hospital. He was the last of the Davis family to live on the family farm in Somers, CT. At an early age, he moved to Seattle, WA with his family. Here, he spent his youth, having many adventures. One of the most famous of these was the time that he and Glen Sperry (who later in life was killed by police during a bank robbery) stole a rowboat and attempted to row across Lake Washington. Bud was about 8 years old at the time. They were nearly killed by a crossing ferryboat, which was unable to see them in the dark.
Bud's parents divorced when he was about 12 years old (abt 1936) and Merritt Sr. kidnapped Bud and his brother Neil and took them back to live on the farm in Connecticut. Here Bud and Neil spent their teenage years, shooting squirrels and causing trouble. There was always competition between Bud and Neil, and they were always doing mean things to each other. Once, Neil told Bud that he wanted to have a paper ball kicking competition. The objective was to see who could kick a wad of balled-up newspaper further. Bud quickly agreed, sure that he could best his brother. However, unknown to Bud, Neil had hidden a large brick in Bud's newspaper ball. Since the contest was held barefoot, Bud ended up with a very sore foot while Neil laughed for many days. In retaliation, Bud decided to punish Neil with an ash-walking contest. Bud had discovered that there were very hot ashes under a pile of seemingly cold ashes on the farm, following a fire the day before. He told Neil that he had discovered how nice it was to run barefoot through this ash pile, saying that he had done so and that it was just heavenly to feel the cool ashes squish between your toes. Neil, of course, wanted to do this too, and Bud showed him the ashpile. Needless to say, Neil did not enjoy his tromp through the ashes too much.
Bud did not finish high school, opting instead to join the Navy in 1941 at age 17. He thought that fighting a war would be a lot more fun than learning math. He ended up in the European theatre, being stationed in England before the invasion. He also particpated in supply runs to Murmansk, USSR. In 1944, he was part of the Allied team that invaded France on D-Day. His job was to ferry troops to Omaha Beach on LST boats. He was not injured. Bud had many adventures during the war, primarily amourous liaisons with European women. He claims to have dated many English girls and even to have had sex with a French girl in an apple orchard. Bud loved the war.
When he returned home in 1945, he spend his time riding his motorcycle and just having fun in Somers. He met Margaret Slanetz in 1946 when she was a senior in high school, and it was purported that he had a wild time with her on their first date, which consisted of him merely showing up to some location where she was baby-sitting, being introduced to her by a friend. Bud and Margaret dated on and off for several years, but Bud was more interested in his motorcycles than in a real committment. When Margaret went away to dental hygiene school in Rochester, NY, in 1948, they didn't see much of each other. However, when she came back, they dated again, and ended up getting married on August 12, 1952 in Hazardville, CT.
Margaret's father, Walt, gave the newleyweds some land in Enfield, CT, and they built a small home there in 1953. There they raised a family, with son Mark born in 1956, daughter Diane born in 1958, and son Robert being born in 1963. During the 60's, Bud spent a lot of time having fun, hunting, fishing, and camping. His favorite place to camp was Baxter State Park, Maine, and the nearby Alligash wilderness. In 1962, Bud and family took a car trip from Connecticut to Washington state to visit his mother, sister, and brother. He had not seen his mother since 1948, when he spent a short time in Washington, obtaining his pilot's license on the GI Bill. This was to be the last time that Bud would see his mother.
In the summer of 1966, Bud learned that his father's colon cancer had recurred. His father, Merritt A. Davis, had converted to the Mormon faith and moved to Utah in 1962. Bud and family drove to Utah for a vacation that year. In December 1967, Bud and Margaret flew to Utah to see his father again. In May of 1968, Bud and his son Mark drove to Utah for a final visit with his father who died later that summer.
In 1978, Bud learned that he had come down with colon cancer, as had his father. He underwent a colostomy, had numerous radiation and chemotherapy treatments, but they were not successful. He made a final visit to his brother and sister in Washington in May 1982, and became seriously ill during that trip. Bud remained at home until May of 1985, when he was admitted to a hostel in Branford, CT. He passed away on July 5, 1985, and was buried with his grandfather and great grandfather in the North Cemetery, Somers, CT.
|
Old Dead Relatives
1924 - 1985 (61 years)
