He was keenly intelligent, a man who started his own company and guided it to success. He was a Navy pilot, something he was immensely proud of.
Lew Davis, my wife's uncle, was a lot of things to a lot of people. Most of all, he was FUN. That's right, capital letters are needed to describe this great man. The world lost a character when he recently passed away at age 86.
I lost a friend.
Lew Davis was one of a kind. Years ago, he held a party near his New Jersey home to celebrate his wife Mary's 75th birthday. Wanting to do something special to honor her, he wrote a song to the tune of the Village People's "Y.M.C.A." Lew being Lew, that wasn't enough. He asked four of us to join him to perform the song - in costume. I was the Indian. It took me hours to memorize the lyrics. But all the work was worth it. I can still hear the audience's laughter.
A memorial service for him will be held Friday at the same venue. I'm writing this as I prepare to pack for the trip.
If he walked into a room with 50 strangers, he left with 10 friends and the other 40 people knew they had met someone special. He was blessed with a wonderful personality. This man knew how to connect with people.
Usually, it was done with humor. Man, Lew could tell jokes. Short jokes. Long jokes. It didn't matter. He always had dozens at his disposal. Not sure how he remembered them all. He told jokes with a twinkle in his eye. We golfed in a rainstorm in Maine one morning. He talked to the clubhouse kid. He talked to golfers. He may have talked to every blade of grass on the course. There was no one like him.
We both liked to have fun. During family weddings, we would wrap our ties around our heads as we hit the dance floor. It became our calling card. The memory of looking into his sparkling eyes as people around us laughed brings a smile to my face and tears to my eyes.
The last year or so was tough on my friend. We visited his New Jersey home about three weeks before his death. He was weak, but his great spirit remained.
At one point Mary mentioned that Lew went to high school with Michael Landon, the famous actor.
"No," Lew said, his voice gaining strength. "Michael Landon went to high school with me."
As always, Lew Davis got the last word. Rest in peace, my friend.
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