Marvin Lyn Davis

Marvin Lyn Davis (known to some as Dave) passed away in his sleep on October 29, 2021, while at home on his farm in Cedarville, Ohio, just the way he wished to. Marvin was born on August 2, 1946, in Sumner, Kentucky to Marie and Harvey Davis. Marvin and his eleven siblings learned the meaning of hard work at a very young age, as the family worked together growing and canning vegetables, raising cattle, and making their own clothing and linens on the family farm. The siblings remained close all their lives. They gathered annually for Pig Roast reunions, usually at Rocky Fork State Park, where Marvin was always in charge of roasting the pig. He took his duties seriously and always did a fantastic job.

Marvin served in Vietnam, where he rescued downed pilots as a member of the 56th Air Commando wing. After the conflict ended, Marvin returned to the states and settled in Dayton, Ohio. In the years that followed, Marvin worked as a barber, HVAC technician, and electrician. He also knew a thing or two about farming and construction and was generally a jack-of-all-trades. Whenever a family member, friend, or neighbor needed help with a project, Marvin was the first to volunteer and would stick with it until the task was finished. Marvin's service to others provided him with a lifelong education in new things and useful skills.

Marvin's generosity was not limited to those he knew and loved. He helped strangers, too. One day Marvin drove past a property where a tree had fallen during a recent storm. He stopped to help the people who lived there as they cleaned up. This was not an isolated event… far from it. It was typical for Marvin to find himself pitching in, in situations like these. Marvin also had a soft spot for abandoned and neglected animals. His farm became a sanctuary for many such creatures, most notably, perhaps, a miniature donkey named Peanut, whose sweetness and goofy appearance delighted Marvin's grandchildren.

One fateful day in the mid-eighties, Marvin wandered into a travel agency in Dayton and met Juanita Flood, the woman with whom he would spend the rest of his life. They married in 1985, and their daughter Lanita was born on Juanita's own birthday in 1986. There could not have been a better gift! Marvin was also the father of a son who bore his middle name, Lyn.

Marvin loved to spend time with his family. When Lanita was a girl, Marvin built her a wonderful playhouse, where she spent many happy hours playing pretend. During her years in 4-H, he helped her take care of her dairy goats. The day Lanita graduated from law school was one of the proudest days of Marvin's life. Marvin's son Lyn will never forget their trips to Rainbow Lake, where Lyn and his cousins tried to catch fish one wouldn't dare eat and listened to Marvin all night long as he told them stories around the campfire. For many years, Marvin and Lyn made an annual trip to Maumee in early May, where they would fish for White Bass and Walleye while freezing their butts off. Thanksgiving was a favorite time for Marvin. He always did much of the cooking, and his turkey-cooking skills were renowned. It brought him immense joy to see the faces of those he loved gathered at his table.

Because flowery words and sentimentality weren't really his style, Marvin showed Juanita how much he loved her by giving her cards, flowers, and her favorite Esther Price chocolates on Valentine's Day and their anniversary. They celebrated their 36th anniversary this past September.

If you knew Marvin (Dave), you knew a man:
who could always fill a room with laughter;
who didn't know the word "no" when it came to helping his family and friends;
who deeply LOVED and was loved by his family, the core of Marvin's being;
who left an imprint on so many.

Marvin is preceded in death by his parents, Harvey and Marie Davis; his siblings Verna Stevens, Charles Davis, Alice Davis, Florene Siglowski, (Emory) Glenn Davis, Sharlet Caplinger, and Rose Marie Curtner. He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Juanita Davis; his son Lyn (Lisa) Carey-Davis; his daughter Lanita (Kyle) Williamson; and his grandchildren, Dylan, CD, Vincent, and Avery. He is also survived by his siblings Dorothy Daufel, Lonnie Davis, Diana Russell, and Patsy Collins; his in-laws Bob and Kathyrn Flood, Ed and Regina Pike, and Warren Flood; and many beloved grandnieces and nephews and great-grandnieces and nephews. All of them will miss Marvin terribly, seeking comfort in their cherished memories of how well and how thoroughly Marvin cared for all of them during the time they had together.

The family will receive friends Thursday, November 4, 2021 from 11:30 to 1:00 p.m. at Newcomer Funeral Home - Beavercreek Chapel (3380 Dayton-Xenia Road, Beavercreek). A graveside service will follow at Dayton National Cemetery (4400 W. Third St., Dayton, OH) at 2:00 p.m.

The family requests that all guests attending services wear masks.

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