Obituary for Charles "Chuck" Davis
Charles E. “Chuck” Davis, 97, of Coldwater, passed away Monday, July 25, 2022 at Maple Lawn.
According to his wishes, no services will be held at this time. Cremation has taken place, interment will follow at Arlington National Cemetery. Arrangements are being cared for by Dutcher Funeral Home.
Charles was born December 29, 1924 to John and Nellie (Fickle) Davis, the fifth child in a family of six children (Dorotha, Ruth, Helen, Lawrence, Charles, and G. Keith). His father died when he was five, and the entire family was taken in by their brother-in-law George McCollough and his wife, Ruth, the second-oldest sister.
Charles graduated from Jefferson High School at age 16, and went on to serve in the US Army during WWII. After seven-weeks of basic training, he was assigned to school to become a secret message coder-decoder operator. Due to preparation for D-Day, he was transferred to complete the 17-week infantry basic training, and then shipped to Omaha Beach in England, shortly after D-Day. Chuck was assigned to General Patton’s Third Army as a Rifleman and Bazooka man until his partner was hit during the Battle of the Bulge. Charles then served as a combat infantry Rifleman until the end of WWII, with decorations for valor including Presidential Unit Citation, three Bronze Stars, Combat Infantry Badge, and qualified for the French Croix de Guerre with Palm.
Charles returned home to marry Annabel Cohee in June of 1949 and graduated from Indiana University in June, 1950.
President Truman Declared war on Korea on June 25, 1950, and on June 26 he called the first 36 men to active duty, including Charles. They were assigned to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, where the Captain was transferred to the Pentagon, leaving no commissioned officer in the unit. Charles was promoted to Master Sergeant and put in charge of the unit. With no staff, (S1, 2, 3, 4), Third Army Headquarters began assigning reservists to the 615th Quartermaster Company up to battalion size. For managing this fiasco without staff help, Charles was awarded a Bronze Star.
He began his civilian career with General Motors, later going to work as Credit Manager for the largest decorative metal manufacturer in the U.S., becoming Treasurer and serving on the board of directors at age 36. He was recognized by the LaSalle Street Professionals (the Chicago equivalent of Wall Street) for inventing the practice of using the assets of a company as security to finance a buyout of the company now called a leveraged buyout.
Chuck began his entrepreneurial career at age 41. He owned and operated two factories, a golf course, a small manufacturing assembly company, rental housing properties, several agricultural farms, designed and as general contractor, built a factory with state-of the-art equipment and served six years as County Administrator.
Chuck was active in community affairs and politics. He was a member of the Reformation Lutheran Church, where he served on the board, a lifetime member of the American Legion, Veteran of Foreign Wars, the Elks and President of Rotary.
He had several U.S. and Canadian patents in diverse fields including solar-space, retail theft, and pending vehicle fuels.
His wife, Annabel Davis died in 2004. They had no children and he was preceded in death by all immediate family.
He is survived by his close, long-time special friend and partner, Ruth E. Heinemann, whom he often called “my personal angel”; his nephews Max (Bev ) McCollough , Mike Beck, Doug (Stacie) Beck, Jack (Mary) Siefers, Ken (Susie) Litzenberger and niece Mary Jo Kranig. www.dutcherfh.com.
According to his wishes, no services will be held at this time. Cremation has taken place, interment will follow at Arlington National Cemetery. Arrangements are being cared for by Dutcher Funeral Home.
Charles was born December 29, 1924 to John and Nellie (Fickle) Davis, the fifth child in a family of six children (Dorotha, Ruth, Helen, Lawrence, Charles, and G. Keith). His father died when he was five, and the entire family was taken in by their brother-in-law George McCollough and his wife, Ruth, the second-oldest sister.
Charles graduated from Jefferson High School at age 16, and went on to serve in the US Army during WWII. After seven-weeks of basic training, he was assigned to school to become a secret message coder-decoder operator. Due to preparation for D-Day, he was transferred to complete the 17-week infantry basic training, and then shipped to Omaha Beach in England, shortly after D-Day. Chuck was assigned to General Patton’s Third Army as a Rifleman and Bazooka man until his partner was hit during the Battle of the Bulge. Charles then served as a combat infantry Rifleman until the end of WWII, with decorations for valor including Presidential Unit Citation, three Bronze Stars, Combat Infantry Badge, and qualified for the French Croix de Guerre with Palm.
Charles returned home to marry Annabel Cohee in June of 1949 and graduated from Indiana University in June, 1950.
President Truman Declared war on Korea on June 25, 1950, and on June 26 he called the first 36 men to active duty, including Charles. They were assigned to Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, where the Captain was transferred to the Pentagon, leaving no commissioned officer in the unit. Charles was promoted to Master Sergeant and put in charge of the unit. With no staff, (S1, 2, 3, 4), Third Army Headquarters began assigning reservists to the 615th Quartermaster Company up to battalion size. For managing this fiasco without staff help, Charles was awarded a Bronze Star.
He began his civilian career with General Motors, later going to work as Credit Manager for the largest decorative metal manufacturer in the U.S., becoming Treasurer and serving on the board of directors at age 36. He was recognized by the LaSalle Street Professionals (the Chicago equivalent of Wall Street) for inventing the practice of using the assets of a company as security to finance a buyout of the company now called a leveraged buyout.
Chuck began his entrepreneurial career at age 41. He owned and operated two factories, a golf course, a small manufacturing assembly company, rental housing properties, several agricultural farms, designed and as general contractor, built a factory with state-of the-art equipment and served six years as County Administrator.
Chuck was active in community affairs and politics. He was a member of the Reformation Lutheran Church, where he served on the board, a lifetime member of the American Legion, Veteran of Foreign Wars, the Elks and President of Rotary.
He had several U.S. and Canadian patents in diverse fields including solar-space, retail theft, and pending vehicle fuels.
His wife, Annabel Davis died in 2004. They had no children and he was preceded in death by all immediate family.
He is survived by his close, long-time special friend and partner, Ruth E. Heinemann, whom he often called “my personal angel”; his nephews Max (Bev ) McCollough , Mike Beck, Doug (Stacie) Beck, Jack (Mary) Siefers, Ken (Susie) Litzenberger and niece Mary Jo Kranig. www.dutcherfh.com.