Michael Davis

Michael Davis was born August 3, 1940, outside Seymour, Missouri, on Preston Hollow Road, to Goldie Ann (Rippee) and John William Davis. The family moved into a log cabin, built by John, under Sand Hill south of Seymour. In the early 1940s, the family moved to Nampa, Idaho, where Michael attended elementary school. The family moved to Wichita, Kansas, in the 1950s, where Michael attended junior high school. In 1960, Michael joined the carpenter union in Salina, Kansas. 

Later, Michael returned to Idaho and worked in the vegetable fields until he was drafted into the US Army in October of 1963. He attended basic training at Fort Ord in California, then was transferred to the 16th Artillery Division at Fort Lewis, State of Washington. In August of 1964, Michael met Nancy Mousel in Seattle, Washington, at a dance hall. Nancy was living in Seattle with her cousin and working at the hospital. Nancy went to the dance hall to see Red Foley, and Michael went to find a girlfriend. 

Michael and Nancy were united in marriage on November 6, 1965, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Cheyenne Wells, Colorado. They hurried back to Missouri for the fall firearms’ deer season. 

Michael and Nancy moved to Seymour and stayed with his grandmother, Minnie (Fleetwood) Rippee, until they rented a house in town. In 1965, Nancy had gone back to Colorado for her brother’s graduation and when she returned to Seymour and got off the bus, Allen McAnally told her not to go back to the house where they were staying because Michael had moved. Nancy thought he was joking and went to the house anyway, where she discovered someone else had, indeed, moved in. 

In 1966, Michael and Nancy lived on the “McMahn” place two miles north of Seymour. In 1970, they moved in with Goldie, east of town. Michael worked as a carpenter and built the family home where they still live on Matney Hollow Road. Michael and Nancy were blessed with five children: Julia, Ruth, Ann, Luke, and Chase.

Michael is survived by his wife of 59 years, Nancy Davis, of the home; five children: Julia and Dan Durington of Buffalo; Ruth Davis of Seymour; Ann and Joe Hallmark of Marshfield; Luke Davis of Seymour; and Chase and Ruby Davis of Seymour. Michael is survived by nine grandchildren: Sean Gillette and his spouse, Haylin; Cody Gillette and his girlfriend, Brandi; Emma and Jessie Durington (Julia’s); Trent and Kai Hallmark (Ann’s); Tanya Davis and her boyfriend, Josh (Luke’s); Leo and Miles Davis (Chase’s). Michael is survived by four great-grandchildren: Owen and Elliot Gillette (Sean’s); Leona and Elijah Gillette (Cody’s); two nephews: Scott and David Davis; one niece: Teresa and Bobby Kono, and many great-nephews and great-nieces. 

Michael was preceded in death by his father, John Davis; his mother, Goldie Ann Rippee; and his older brother, Laurel.

Michael loved to hunt, fish, play cards, and watch westerns. In 1972, he bagged a 12-point white-tailed buck south of Seymour in the Sand Hills. Michael caught a 13-pound walleye on the lake at Forsyth, Missouri, below the dam, using a night crawler as bait. Michael always said, “A bad day fishing is better than a good day’s work.” 

Michael worked mostly as a carpenter doing odd jobs, building and repairing houses. He worked seasonally for the Missouri Department of Conservation, starting in 1968 until the late 1980s. He ran a bulldozer, manned a fire tower, and fought wildfires. He also picked apples at the apple orchard in Seymour. Michael worked for Champ Industries in Cabool and then in Seymour until 2017 when he started declining from dementia. Michael was cared for, in the home, by Ruth Davis from 2017 to 2025. 

Michael passed away from pneumonia on Friday, May 30, 2025, at 11:07 a.m. in Mercy Hospital, Springfield, Missouri.

Memorial contributions may be made to Star Cemetery in care of the funeral home.