Obituary: John P. Davis

April 11, 1934-January 26, 2011

John P. Davis. 76, of Tonopah died in Yerington on Jan. 26, 2011, of cancer.

He was born in 1934 in New York to Dorothy Pierce Davis and Everly Mahin Davis Jr. He moved to Santa Barbara, Calif., with his grandfather, Everly M. Davis, Sr., and his mother following the death of his father in 1936. He lived in Montecito, attended Santa Barbara schools and graduated in 1952 from Laguna High School, a private school. He loved the outdoors, hiked the coastal range and spent summers at his grandfather's ranch in Winton, Calif., located along the Merced River. He graduated as a mining engineer from the Colorado School of Mines in 1956. Following graduation, he entered the U.S. Army and was stationed at Camp Wolters, Texas. He served as a 1st lieutenant and company commander of "A" company in the 864th Engineer Battalion, a heavy construction engineering unit.

Following military service, he worked on mining and engineering projects in Wyoming, New Mexico, Texas, Utah, Nevada and California. On the death of his grandfather, he returned to Winton to manage a ranch (peaches, almonds, dairies) and worked as a land surveyor in Mariposa. This endeavor raised legal disputes that lead to an interest in law. After attending U.C. Davis School of Law, he moved to Carson City in 1972.

His legal career included working in the office of the Attorney General, private practice in Minden, justice of the peace in Smith Valley in Lyon County and district court judge of the Fifth Judicial District. He was reelected judge in 1990 and served more than 20 years. He resided in Tonopah until 2011. The rural environment provided solitude and an avenue for his personal interests and professional goals.

John was independent, adventuresome, and an avid outdoorsman with a passion for hunting, hiking, horseback riding, jogging, swimming and flying. He loved animals, especially dogs and horses. At an earlier age, he ran marathons and hiked some of the highest peaks and mountains in the United States and Ecuador. He had a love of learning that he instilled in others. His many interests included history, geology, the classics, mathematics, and politics. John inspired others by pursuing his varied passions until the very end of his life.

He was preceded in death by his mother, Dorothy Davis Gunderson; Everly M. Davis, Sr., and Jr. He is survived by his daughters, Lisa (Peter Crump) of Middleton, Wis., Laurie Going (Steve Going) of Portland, Ore.; his son John Davis Jr.; and his granddaughters Jennifer and Johanna Crump.

John was well loved and will be missed. His family will treasure the many blessing and memories from the past. A private service was held Feb. 1 with burial in the Tonopah cemetery. Arrangements were under the direction of the VFW and Gunters Funeral Home of Hawthorne