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John H. Davis, 62

| August 9, 2014 9:00 PM

John Harvey Davis, 62, of Polson, Mont., passed away Aug. 4, 2014, after a tragic nighttime fall down a flight of stairs in his home.

John was born Nov. 23, 1951, in Kansas City, Kan., to Clara and Paul Davis. He went to Wyndotte High School in Kansas, and then served four memorable years in the Navy as a torpedo man on the submarine USS George C. Marshall. During that time John experienced long hours of solitude and taught himself guitar, which he excelled at; rarely a day passed without time devoted to his music. He was also proficient on the harmonica, a family talent passed down from his father.

After the Navy John attended Oregon State University, studied art and received his teaching degree in Art Education. After teaching four years in Waldport, Ore., he ventured to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, in 1983 where he was hired as an art teacher at Canfield Middle School. There, John met his life partner and soul mate, Margery. They had a fantastic 25 year career together teaching hundreds of children the love of art. With adjoining art rooms at the same school, John and Margery were constant companions, sharing their love for teaching. They also shared their music; along with John's guitar, beautiful voice and harmonica, Margery joined him on flute and they made beautiful music together for many years.

John retired from teaching in 2008 and Margery followed him the next year. They moved to Polson, Mont., and had five fun-filled years immersed in their new community. John was a member of the Sandpiper Art Gallery and planned the yearly Worldwide Paintout for local artists each fall. His art talents had no boundaries. His favorite mediums were watercolor and acrylic paint, but he was a master of all forms of artistic creation. If John wasn't involved in an art project, he was playing music, riding his Ural sidecar motorcycle, snowboarding, spending time with his Elk buddies, camping or fly fishing, and living life to the fullest.

John is survived by his wife, Margery Christensen, and older sister, Paula Urquhart of Kansas City. A life celebration is planned for 2 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Mission Valley Elks Lodge in Polson, Mont. Memorials in John's honor may go to the Sandpiper Gallery in Polson.