James Elijah ‘Jim’ Davis

Published 8:11 pm Wednesday, April 23, 2014

James Elijah (Jim) Davis passed away on April 6, 2014 at the age of 87. He was the son of Lige Davis and Martha Jarvis Boughton and the stepson of Josephine Jackson Davis and Gordon Boughton. Jim, a fourth generation Oregonian, was raised on a cattle ranch in Ritter, OR. Jim briefly attended Reed College in Portland before enlisting in the U.S. Navy in 1944. He served two years and was honorably discharged in 1946 as a Pharmacists Mate Third Class. After his service in the Navy, Jim attended Oregon State University from which he graduated in 1949. He was granted early admission to the University of Oregon Medical School in Portland and received his medical degree in 1953. Jim practiced family medicine in Milwaukie OR for 33 years before retiring to Bend, OR. Jim was an enthusiastic alpine skier, snowshoer, hiker and cyclist and was involved with many outdoors groups in Bend. Jim skied with the legendary “Over the Hill Gang” at Mt Bachelor. For many years, he maintained a section of the Pacific Crest Trail from McKenzie Pass to Mount Washington. Jim was the driving force behind the creation of the first marked snowshoe exclusive trails on Forest Service land. In 2011, Jim received the prestigious John Day award for his exceptional service to Oregon’s Nordic clubs. Jim was an active alumni of the Oregon State University and served on the University Honors College Board of Regents from 2011 to 2013. Jim established the Jim and Dee Davis University Honors College Scholarship Fund for Oregon residents to enable deserving students to attend Oregon State University. Jim is survived by his wife of 46 years, Deama Davis; his sons Steve Davis of Lake Oswego OR and Bruce Davis of Seattle WA; his stepdaughters Susan Coulson of Portland OR and Judy Lanning of Apache, AZ ; 4 grandchildren, and 4 great-grandchilden. A memorial service is planned for June 8th, 2014 at Aspen Hall in Shevlin Park, Bend OR.