John E Davis, 95, of Woonsocket, passed away on Thursday, March 17, 2022, at the Prairie View Healthcare Center in Woonsocket.  

Funeral services will be Thursday, March 24, at 10:30 a.m. at Spirit of Faith Church, Woonsocket. Burial will be in Eventide Cemetery, with military rites by the American Legion Post 29. A visitation was at Spirit of Faith Church, Wednesday, March 23, from 5-7 p.m., with a prayer service at 7 p.m., and one will be held one hour prior to the service on Thursday.  Rev. John Anderson will officiate.

John was born Nov. 5, 1926, to George and Eva (Klein) Davis at his home in Woonsocket. At a young age, John’s mother, Eva, passed away, and he was raised by his stepmother, Stella (Crippen) Davis. 

During summers, while in high school, John enjoyed traveling with combine crews heading south and moving north with the grain harvest. Upon graduating from Woonsocket High School, John started his lifetime passion working with his father, George Earnest, on the Davis Ranch, north of Forestburg. John served with the U.S. Army Combat Engineers operating heavy equipment attached to a U.S. Airforce unit during the Korean conflict from 1951-1953. 

In August of 2002, John opened his home to Jack, Bernie, Joshua, Justin and Joseph, where he enjoyed sharing his home and having family close. In February of 2021, John entered the Prairie View Healthcare Center in Woonsocket, where he resided until his passing.

John enjoyed gathering with family and visiting with friends and neighbors and especially working the fall livestock roundup. John enjoyed his visits with out-of-state pheasant hunters hosted by the Davis family since the early 1950s. 

John is survived by his brother, James (Julie) Davis of Forestburg; nephews, Jeff (Paula) of Brookings, Jack (Bernie) of Woonsocket, Jonathan (Jennifer) of Annapolis, Md.; niece, Jodi Davis Schmid (Greg) of Saginaw, Mich.; seven grand-nephews; one grand-niece; one great-grand-nephew; and three great-grand-nieces. 

John was preceded in death by parents, George Earnest, Eva and Stella Davis; sister, Louise Walter; and brother-in-law, Don Walter.

The family asks that in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Spirit of Faith Lutheran-Methodist Church building fund at 206 W. 7th Street, Woonsocket, SD 57385.