Home > United States of America > South Dakota > Butte County > Belle Fourche > Pine Slope Cemetery > Dr John Harlan Davis

Dr John Harlan Davis

View larger map

Birth	:	2 Sep 1896 Poy Sippi, Waushara County, Wisconsin, USA
Death	:	21 Mar 1988 Belle Fourche, Butte County, South Dakota, USA
Burial	:	Pine Slope Cemetery, Belle Fourche, Butte County, USA
Coordinate	:	44.6460991, -103.8666992
Plot	:	D-116-6
Inscription	:	PVT US ARMY WORLD WAR I
Description	:	EDITORIAL JOHN H. DAVIS -- doctor, pilot It may be an odd way to put it, but Belle Fourche without Dr. John H. Davis, is like meat without potatoes -- things just aren't going to be the same. No history of Belle Fourche is going to be complete without mention of Dr. John H. Davis. He was, by any definition, one of a kind. There may have been some low points in his life, but there were many treasured high points. The late Dr. L. J. Townsend once said he felt Dr. Davis had some of the finest... Read More	EDITORIAL JOHN H. DAVIS -- doctor, pilot It may be an odd way to put it, but Belle Fourche without Dr. John H. Davis, is like meat without potatoes -- things just aren't going to be the same. No history of Belle Fourche is going to be complete without mention of Dr. John H. Davis. He was, by any definition, one of a kind. There may have been some low points in his life, but there were many treasured high points. The late Dr. L. J. Townsend once said he felt Dr. Davis had some of the finest surgical hands he had ever seen. Dr. Townsend, who had studied in Vienna, had seen some good ones. Dr. Davis used those hands for many years, but never to their full potential. He preferred to remain in Belle Fourche serving the people of the Tri-State area. We'll remember Dr. Davis as a soft-spoken man, but we have seen times when "soft" didn't fit. We have seen him draw on a vocabulary he must have picked up from the miners in his early years as a doctor. Dr. Davis was proud of his medical service to the community. He worked hard to become a doctor, over-coming some financial problems that might have turned away a lesser man. It was different with flying. The doctor claimed he was born with a love of flying. He recalled hearing about the early flights of the Wright Brothers. He constructed a plane before he went to college. He never flew it. The plane was stored in a neighbor's barn and before Davis could get back the cows had eaten much of it. Dr. Davis obtained his pilot's licence in 1933 -- back in the days when they were issued by the Department of Commerce. He treasured that licence and kept it active thru the years. The doctor is gone, but we think our life has been enriched for having known him. From the "Belle Fourche Post" Belle Fourche, Butte, SD March 23, 1988 SERVICES SET FOR DR. J. H. DAVIS Two services are set for Dr. J. H. Davis, 91, of Belle Fourche. He died Monday at the Belle Fourche Health Care Center. Eastern Star services will be held at Frost and Sons Chapel at 7 o'clock this evening. Memorial services will be held at 1 p. m. Thursday at St. James Episcopal Church with Rev. Tom Hurley of Lead officiating. Burial will be in Pineslope Cemetery. John Harlan Davis was born Sept. 2, 1896 at Poysippi, Wis. to Stephen and Etta May (Ingersoll) Davis. The family moved to Belle Fourche in 1909 and settled on a farm owned by Mrs. Davis' father (Ingersoll) five miles east of town. He graduated from Belle Fourche High School in 1916, was a student at the Chicago College of Dental Surgery before enlisting in the U.S. Army as a student during World War I. After his discharge he returned to Belle Fourche, attended Spearfish Normal, then the School of Mines at Rapid City, enrolled in pre-med at the University of South Dakota at Vermillion, then attended Rush Medical College at Chicago. He was graduated from Rush in 1926, was married to Sylvia Mae Johnson Aug. 19, 1927 at the Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago. They then moved to Gebo, Wyo., where Dr. Davis served as a mining company doctor. They moved to Belle Fourche in the fall of 1928. He shared offices with Dr. Albert Sherrill and his practice continued in Belle Fourche for the next 60 years. Dr. Davis delivered over 2,600 babies, including a set of triplets and numerous twins. He served as chief of staff at John Burns Memorial Hospital. Dr. Davis was a 50-year Mason, a Shriner, a member of the Eastern Star, IOOF, World War I veteran, 50-year member of the Lions Club and Chamber of Commerce, was a member of St. James Episcopal Church and a vestry member. Davis was a major in the Civil Air Patrol, had obtained his pilot's licence in the early 1930s and kept that licence active thru the years. Survivors include: a daughter, Patricia Jean Davis, Belle Fourche; a son, John Alden Davis, New Orleans, La.; a granddaughter, Diana Lynn Huffman and a great-granddaughter, Julene E. Huffman, of Denver, Colo.; two grandsons -- David B. Gay of Silver Springs, Md., and Robert D. Gay, of Bryant, Texas; a nephew, Lauren Steve Davis, Alexandria, Va.; and two nieces -- Dallerie Davis Johnson of Sturges and Kayla Jean Clark of Salem, Ore. He was preceded in death by his wife, Sylvia; an infant son Dean; a brother, Lauren A. Davis, and his parents. A memorial has been established in lieu of flowers. Frost and Sons Funeral Home is handling arrangements. "Belle Fourche Post" Belle Fourche, Butte, SD March 23, 1988

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Dr John Harlan Davis's memorial?
Dr John Harlan Davis's memorial is located at: Pine Slope Cemetery, Belle Fourche, Butte County, USA.
When did Dr John Harlan Davis death?
Dr John Harlan Davis death on 21 Mar 1988 in Belle Fourche, Butte County, South Dakota, USA
Where are the coordinates of the Dr John Harlan Davis's memorial?
Latitude: 44.6460991
Longitude: -103.8666992

Family Members:

Parent

Stephen E. Davis

(1862 - 1949)

Etta May Ingersoll Oleson

(1873 - 1955)

Spouse

Sylvia Mae Johnston Davis

(1903 - 1979)

Siblings

Lauren Ardin Davis

(1902 - 1987)

Children

Patricia Jean Davis

(1929 - 1989)

Dean Harlan Davis

(1933 - 1933)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

1. Pine Slope Cemetery
Belle Fourche, Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 44.6460991, -103.8666992

2. Saint Paul's Catholic Cemetery
Belle Fourche, Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 44.6461000, -103.8667000

3. Riverside Cemetery
Belle Fourche, Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 44.6631012, -103.8636017

4. Minnesela Cemetery
Belle Fourche, Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 44.6549988, -103.8080978

5. Snoma Cemetery
Fruitdale, Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 44.6330986, -103.6844025

6. Gate of Heaven Cemetery
Saint Onge, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.5353000, -103.7237000

7. Danish Cemetery
Fruitdale, Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 44.6408005, -103.6485977

8. Rose Hill Cemetery
Spearfish, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.4802180, -103.8509270

9. Beulah Cemetery
Beulah, Crook County, USA
Coordinate: 44.5441550, -104.0754550

10. Little Dane Cemetery
Saint Onge, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.5252500, -103.6705540

11. Anderson Cemetery
Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.4747009, -103.6896973

12. Nisland Cemetery
Nisland, Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 44.6769010, -103.5580410

13. Carbonate Cemetery
Maurice, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.4000000, -103.8680500

14. Whitewood Cemetery
Whitewood, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.4617820, -103.6330030

15. Crook City Cemetery
Crook City, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.4432100, -103.6241500

16. Saint Ambrose Cemetery
Deadwood, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3821983, -103.7266998

17. Mount Moriah Cemetery
Deadwood, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3760986, -103.7253036

18. Preston Ghost Town Cemetery
Preston, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3577500, -103.8871670

19. Bear Gulch Cemetery
Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3819008, -104.0325012

20. Oak Ridge Cemetery
Deadwood, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3891983, -103.6766968

21. West Lead Cemetery
Lead, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3484001, -103.7779999

22. Beals Cemetery
Vale, Butte County, USA
Coordinate: 44.6185989, -103.4366989

23. South Lead Cemetery
Lead, Lawrence County, USA
Coordinate: 44.3478510, -103.7606260

24. Kimball Family Cemetery
Aladdin, Crook County, USA
Coordinate: 44.7177800, -104.2887700