William C. 'Bill Davis, 70
William C. "Bill" Davis, 70, MSGT USMC Retired, passed away suddenly Aug. 27, 2005, at his home.
Bill was born Aug. 8, 1935, in Belgrade, son of Chauncey and Ellen (Kelly) Davis. The family moved to Shelby, where Bill graduated from high school in the class of 1953.
Bill join the Marine Corps Reserve unit in Shelby and joined the active Marine Corps in 1954, serving until 1974.
Bill's Marine Corps career was spent in the legal field, where he served as legal chief for the first Marine Corps Air Wing in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968. Bill also served in that capacity in California, Virginia, Japan and Okinawa.
Bill married Tazuko in Norfolk, Va., on Jan. 4, 1974. He retired from the Marine Corps in May 1974, and they moved to Columbia Falls and later to the home on Trumble Creek Road.
He went to work at the Montana Veterans Home as maintenance supervisor until retiring again in 1989.
Bill was a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, serving as post commander and quartermaster of the Columbia Falls Post, transferring to Glacier Park Post 2252 when the Columbia Falls Post closed. He was a charter member of the North Valley Eagles and a member of the Elks in Kalispell.
Bill was also a charter member and life member of the Flathead Valley Marine Corps League Detachment, a past commandant, and also a two-time state commandant of the Department of Montana Marine Corps League.
His participation in the Toys for Tots program for the Valley covered 17 years, serving for four years a coordinator. Bill spent five to six weeks every fall, traveling all across the valley picking up the toys at all of the drop-off sites, earning him the title of "Jingle Bill."
Bill was also a member of the Moose Lodge where he served as community activities chairman.
He was preceded in death by his parents, and a brother, Harve.
He is survived by his wife, Tazuko, at the family home; sisters, Lavon Flynn (Dale) of Three Forks, and Jeannette Davis of Spokane; brothers, Everett Davis of Fort Worth, Texas, and Larry and wife, Myrtle McLean of Bonners Ferry, Idaho; daughters, Lynda Springer of Minot, N.D., and Roxanna Kimmet and Kathy Davis, both of Shelby; four grandchildren, Jessica, Jon, Timothy and David, of Minot; one great-grandchild; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Bill loved camping, hunting and gathering firewood with his friends. He set up his camp in the South Fork every summer and spent many enjoyable hours there, and at Jim Larsen's hunting camp west of Kalispell.
His many friends will miss him greatly, but are much richer for having known him.
Funeral services will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Buffalo Hill Funeral Home with interment and graveside services conducted by the United Veterans of the Flathead at C.E. Conrad Memorial Cemetery. A reception will be afterward at the Kalispell Moose Lodge in Evergreen.
Visitation will be today from 3 to 8 p.m. at Buffalo Hill Funeral Home.
The family suggests memorials be made in Bill's name to Toys for Tots, c/o John Olsen, 610 W. California St., Kalispell, MT 59901.
Buffalo Hill Funeral Home and Crematory is caring for the family.