Final Salute

Gerald “Gerry” William Davis, EQCM (Retired), passed away December 6, 2024 in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho after a prolonged illness. Gerry was born to Lee E. and Irene F. (Arndt) Davis on May 15, 1946 in Vancouver, BC, Canada. The family immigrated to the United States in 1952. They originally settled in San Mateo, California and then moved to San Jose, California. He graduated from W. C. Overfelt High School in 1964 and started attending San Jose City College. Gerry didn’t want to get drafted, so he joined the Navy in 1966 and became a Seabee for 31 years. In 1968 he married his high school sweetheart, Linda J Coffelt and they have been married for 56 years.

During his time in the Navy, he served two tours in Vietnam, two winter overs in Antarctica (one at geographic South Pole and one at McMurdo Station). He was also in five different Naval Mobile Construction Battalions ( 6, 121, 40, 3 and 1). He was very proud of being a Seabee and the fact that he had been stationed at all three Seabee bases: Davisville, Rhode Island; Gulfport, Mississippi; and Port Hueneme, California. Gerry loved to tell sea stories and would talk about his travels and adventures for hours. After retiring from the Navy, he and Linda moved to Irrigon, Oregon where they spent the next 20 years and, in 2018, moved to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.

Gerry was preceded in death by his parents, Lee and Irene Davis (Arndt), both in 1993. He is survived by his wife, Linda; son, David and his wife, Connie; niece, Nicole Easterday (Nate); great niece, Tatum Easterday; brothers-in-law. Ronald Coffelt and Tommy Coffelt (Dorothy); nephews, Cliff Coffelt (Kiristin), Travis Coffelt (Kortney); great nephews, Clayton Coffelt and Eric Coffelt; as well as his brother, Tom and sister, Judith Davis.

Gerry wanted no services, and his urn will be buried at Coeur d’Alene Memorial Gardens.