Gary Franklin Davis was born to Genevieve and Franklin Davis on April 3, 1944, in Seattle, Washington. When Gen and Frank moved back to Great Falls, their house was bustling with boys. Gary was joined eventually by brothers Mike, Tom, and Bob. The Davis boys spent many days eating mountains of pork chops, mashed potatoes, donuts, and date-filled cookies made by Grandma Gen.
Gary met Kathy, the love of his life, when they were both students at Great Falls High School. They dated all the way through high school. Gary graduated from Great Falls High in 1962, and then moved to Dillon to attend the University of Montana-Western. Kathy joined him in Dillon in the Fall of 1964. They were married on September 11, 1965. In the following years, Jenny and Jon were added to the family. In the 1970s, he spent time during the summers teaching Outdoor Education at Western. This led to many nature walks, teaching his children and grandchildren the names of all the plants you could see in the mountains of Montana.
During this time, in addition to teaching Biology at GFHS, he took another job as a park cop in order to make ends meet for his young family. He served 14 years in the Montana Air National Guard during these years as well. He was always a hard worker. He often had to be told to come inside and eat something because he had not eaten anything all day long. Once he got involved in a project, he could not stop until it was finished.
Other jobs that Gary held were GFHS pool manager, gymnastics coach, and then he moved into an administrative role. He became the Dean of Students before he moved into the position of Principal of Great Falls High School. He dearly loved being a Bison and was held in high regard by those who knew him. He was always fair, firm, and kind to everyone. It didn’t matter the station in life, he was good and respectful to all those he met. He retired from being Principal in the Spring of 2002.
Probably his biggest achievement outside of work was having a vision of building a cabin in the Little Belts. He loved spending time at the cabin with family and friends. Countless hours were spent at the cabin playing games around the table. He and Kathy played Canasta with his brother Mike, and sister-in-law Sylvia, and Yahtzee with the kids and grandkids. He even taught the grandchildren how to play chess.
In recent years, he got into "junking." He would search for antiques in questionable condition and refinish them. One day, he even took his two grandsons dumpster-diving for a quarter sawn oak table. He was a self-taught master craftsman at his antiquing hobby. Many of these beautifully refurbished pieces have found their way to the cabin, where they will be enjoyed by his family for many years to come.
The world lost a great light on September 19, 2024, when Gary peacefully passed at Peace Hospice in Great Falls, Montana. He will be dearly missed by his family, as well as his friends.
To read the complete obituary and share condolences, click here to visit the Schnider Funeral Home website.
