Lyle H. Davis, June 8, 1937 – August 6, 2024
Lyle was born on June 8, 1937 in Seattle, WA to Eli Davis and Adele Josephine (DeChenne) Davis. He passed away peacefully at his home in Buckley, WA on August 6, 2024. Lyle’s early years were spent in Prosser, WA.The family moved to Auburn, WA where he attended elementary school at Auburn Adventist Academy.
His high school years were at Enumclaw High School, class of 1957. Lyle lived with his sister Lucile through high school, making money milking cows for Margaret Bathum. After high school he married Geri Darby from Black Diamond and joined the US Army. Basic training was at Ford Ord in California, he then spent 6 1/2 years in the Army reserves.
Lyle’s lifelong love of motorcycles, cars and trucks lead him to working for 10 years at the Kenworth Motor Truck Co. in Seattle. His next job would be partnering with his brother, Lloyd Davis, in the bulk milk transportation business.
They hauled bulk milk and cream from dairies in the Enumclaw/Buckley area to processing plants in Auburn and Issaquah. A favorite Saturday morning included breakfast at the Sales Barn with the farmers of Enumclaw. Davis & Davis trucking sold the milk transport business to his nephew, Bob Paschich, and Lyle continued his trucking career driving refrigerated food, including Yami Yogurt, to dairies in Oregon, sometimes with family as his travelling companions.
Lyle loved to travel. He converted two 1960’s passenger buses into motorhomes. He and Geri traveled extensively in the buses and other RV’s, one year touring 26 US states. Highlights included the Henry Ford Museum, Dollywood, and Niagra Falls. Another year they took a three-month, 5000 mile trip, in a caravan of other buses and RV’s down the east coast of Mexico, into Belieze, then up the west coast of Mexico and back into the US.
Lyle’s love of anything with an engine fueled his favorite pastime, restoring motorcycles, cars, and trucks. He attended to every detail from the bare frame up. Of the hundreds of projects he lovingly wrenched on and restored 1932 Fords were among his favorites.
After his first retirement Lyle and Geri went to work for the Muckleshoot Indian Tribe. Lyle drove Muckleshoot elders to many parts of the Western US and Canada. They visited many other Native American tribes and were included in a special dinner at Crazy Horse Memorial.
Lyle fully retired in 1999, spending time with Geri in their summer home in Enumclaw and their winter home in Yuma, AZ. Their Arizona home became a wonderful winter escape for family and friends. There they enjoyed their new desert landscape with other snowbirds, 4-Wheeling, picnicking, exploring, mountain hiking and always finding the best and most unique restaurants! Travel continued with weekly trips into Algodones, Mexico, where Lyle made many new friends, despite the fact that he didn’t speak Spanish. They also took one
memorable trip to the hot air balloon festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico. One winter they were invited to fly to Panama where they spent a month with new friends that owned a yogurt plant. The highlight was driving the length of the beautiful Panama Canal.
Lyle was preceded in death by his father Eli Davis, his mother Adele (DeChenne) Davis, brothers Lloyd and Harold Davis, sisters Lorraine Paschich and Lucile Hiatt. He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Geri Davis, brother Lonnie Davis, daughter Carrie Wetteland (Kevin), son Scott Davis, grandchildren Tyler Mounts (Nicole), Natalie Mounts, Alex Wetteland, Jacqueline Wetteland, great grandchildren Parker and Avery Mounts and a very special adopted grandson, Jeffrey Nelson.
Lyle had a great love for his family, his God, the Bible and a belief in life after death. We know he arrived in heaven driving a fully restored 1932 Ford! We’re respecting his wishes by having no service. Memorials can be made to The Black Diamond Historical Museum or the Heart or Diabetes Foundations.
To end with the words he always said every trucker wants to read as they drive our country’s highways, “Scales Closed.” Love you husband, dad, grandpa, great grandpa.
