Gary Scott Davis' Obituary
Gary Scott Davis, 64, of Palm Springs, CA, passed away Tuesday, December 11, 2018 at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs due to complications from congestive heart failure. At his side were his husband, Eric Duran, formerly of Edmore, and his best friend, Dean Winn.
Gary was born October 17, 1954 in Grand Rapids, MI at St Mary's Hospital, died December 11, 2018 in Palm Springs. Gary was a graduate of Grand Rapids public schools, and of University of Illinois, Urbana. He worked for 30 years at Blackmer, a division of Dover Corporation in Grand Rapids. He met Eric in Grand Rapids, in March of 1983, while Eric was a Nuclear Medicine student at Ferris State University. The two began a long courtship that led them to a long and happy marriage, made legal in Palm Springs in June 2015. At the time of his passing, they had been together for nearly 36 years of love and constant learning of each other and the world. They lived for many years in Grand Rapids, moving to their home in Palm Springs in 2004.
Gary was encouraging of many many people he cared about through the years. He encouraged and guided Eric through resuming and successfully completing his Pharmacy degree at Ferris in the late 1980's. With a keen listening ear, he worked with many friends and family to help them best develop their talents and interests, both personally and professionally, always showing them possibilities that they often had not realized. Gary had a love of camping & the outdoors, prompting he and Eric to at one point take month long, cross country trip from Grand Rapids to Palm Springs in his Jeep, camping all through the desert southwest, Utah, and Colorado. He had a wonderful ability to draw people out with conversation, often finding common ground with the most unlikely people, people who often became friends. He was wildly entertaining with stories, often unforgettable, that would get passed down and around, all from elements from his life and his family and friends.
Preceded in death by his father, Roosevelt Jefferson Davis (1994), mother, Lucy Juanita Davis (2006), sister Deaunn Davis (2011). Survived by husband, Eric Duran, sisters Nikki Gee-Sapp, Samantha (Davis)Beck, nieces Ashtian and Danielle Beck and Sasha Duran, nephews Brandon Gee-Williams, Taylor Beck, Jeremy Duran, and Kylan Sapp.
A memorial luncheon and celebration of his life will be held at Maxfield's Restaurant in Wyman, MI on April 25th at 1:00pm. Pastor Marcia Schultz of Our Savior's Lutheran church in Edmore will officiate and all family and friends are invited to come and share their stories and remembrances of a man many found unforgettable. The family is encouraging donations to the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association.
Earning and giving respect were hallmarks of his character, maintaining that caring and showing respect to others made everyone important. Friends are encouraged to share memories and photos on his tribute wall.
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