Wendell L Davis (1949 - 2014)

Born 20 Jul 1949 in Orofino, Idaho, United States

Died 13 Nov 2014 at age 65 in Lewiston, Idaho, United States

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Wendell was Nez Perce.

Biography

Obituary

Wendell Lee Davis, 65, a true warrior and member of the Nez Perce Tribe and longtime community member of Kamiah, entered into rest Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014, at Prestige Care Center in Lewiston with his family by his side, from a courageous battle with cancer.

Wendell was born to James Davis and Eileen Spencer on July 20, 1949, in Orofino. He lived most of his life in the Kamiah Valley, participating in many organizations and where he was a member of the Second Presbyterian Church in Kamiah. Wendell had many bonds of friendships in the Kamiah Valley.

In 1959, he was a member of the Boy Scouts. He had his sisters practice the Boy Scout pledge over and over, to the point they also knew the pledge by heart.

During his school days, Wendell was on the honor roll throughout the years. He inherited artistic abilities from his mother and aunt, who were also the artists in the family. As he ventured into high school, his athletic abilities placed him on the Kub basketball team for four years. Wendell played football and baseball, where he was a pitcher. After high school, Wendell continued to play basketball with several town teams and many times played with the Lapwai team, Nez Perce Nation, as they traveled to tournaments throughout the Northwest. As with many youth in the area, his desire to participate in sports began at the Wa A Yas Community Center in Kamiah.

After graduating from Kamiah High School in 1968, Wendell went on to Bacone Junior College in Bacone, Okla., earning an associate degree in education. Upon completion of junior college, he continued his education at Eastern Oregon College in 1978, and was forced to discontinue his college because of a right knee fracture. His plans were to get his bachelor's in physical science and social services.

Wendell worked for many businesses in the Kamiah area, from mill work at Three Rivers Timber and then Weyerhauser Lumber in the early 1980s. He went on to work for Head Start, driving the bus. He thoroughly enjoyed driving for the students, with whom he bonded over the years as their bus driver. Wendell worked for the It'se Ye Ye Casino in Kamiah as a machine technician in 2002. Wendell worked for the Clearwater National Forest from 1991 to 1998 as a recreational guard and archeologist technician, where he did ground work on part of the Nez Perce Trail. In 2007, his Forest Service work continued at the Lochsa Ranger Station, where he did surveys for the Cultural Resources Program. He was also employed with the Older Americans Program, where he was groundskeeper at the facilities in Kamiah and Kooskia Forest Service offices.

As a member of the community, Wendell participated in Jaycees, where he was vice president in the early 1980s, when the Kamiah Jaycees traveled to Boise to attendant a Jaycee Convention. They took a load of honors back to Kamiah, where they were No. 1 in the state of Idaho as public relations chapter.

For years, Wendell enjoyed bowling and bowled on three teams. He was always eager for the bowling season to start. He was hard on himself and always fought to be a better bowler, bowling many high-scoring games. He was respected by his bowling team members, and he enjoyed their company on the nights he always looked forward to.

Wendell retired from the It'se Ye Ye Casino in 2013, where Wendell enjoyed meeting and greeting all those who entered the casino.

In 2005, Wendell hung up his striped shirt that he wore for 25 years, refereeing junior high and high school at Kamiah, as well as AAU games. Wendell became a certified referee in 1985.

A proud Kub alumnus, Wendell enjoyed watching his nephews and nieces participate in junior high and high school sports. He enjoyed being a Kub fan over the years, very seldom missing a game of basketball, football and volleyball. His nephews played Lapwai Wildcat basketball, but that did not keep him from cheering them on. He enjoyed watching his daughter Frances as she participated in high school sports.

Wendell was preceded in death by his parents, grandparents and two brothers.

He is survived by his aunt, Caron Spencer of Lapwai; and two sisters, Sandy and Virgil Holt of Lapwai and Marci and Henry Bailey of Kamiah. He is survived also by a daughter, Frances Walker of Lapwai; and son Winfred Chico Davis of Oklahoma; along with several nieces and nephews whom he adored and loved.

A memorial service will be held at 7 p.m. Sunday at the Wa A Yas Community Center in Kamiah, with the funeral at 10 a.m. Monday at the Wa A Yas Community Center in Kamiah. Dinner will follow at the Wa A Yas Community Center. Trenary's Funeral home in Kooskia is in charge of the arrangement. Burial will take place at the Second Church Cemetery on No Kid Lane in Kamiah. ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ Lewiston Tribune, November 2014 http://lmtribune.com/obituaries/article_e40c37ab-2dac-50f3-9ca4-36d034a04efe.html

• "United States, GenealogyBank Obituaries, 1980-2014," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKG1-258Z : 26 October 2016), Wendell Davis in entry for Sharon Carolyn Spencer, Idaho, United States, 07 Feb 2013; from "Recent Newspaper Obituaries (1977 - Today)," database, GenealogyBank.com (http://www.genealogybank.com : 2014); citing Lewiston Morning Tribune, born-digital text.