Donald Roy Davis

Donald Roy Davis May 6, 1926 - April 23, 2019 Carlsbad Donald Roy Davis, 92, Naval Officer, Army Chaplain, Counselor and Mentor, passed away April 23, in Carlsbad, California. Born on May 6, 1926, Don grew up in Toronto, Ohio with six siblings, all of whom predeceased him. Don was accepted into the Navy's V-12 program, earning a civil engineering degree in three years from the University of South Carolina. He was commissioned as a Naval Officer and assigned to the carrier USS Shangri-La, in the South Pacific, immediately following the end of the Pacific War. After 4 years in the Navy, Don pursued a long-held goal of entering the ministry by attending Nazarene Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Don entered ministry as a pastor in Washington State. After 12 years, Don joined the Army as a Chaplain, and served his nation in various locations, including San Francisco, Vietnam (twice), Germany, Brooklyn, New Jersey and the Bikini Atoll. One of Don's significant life accomplishments was development of a counseling curriculum for the US Army while an instructor at the US Army Chaplain School, introducing the Army Chaplain corps to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, thus influencing a generation of Army counselors. He was awarded the Bronze Star with oak leaf cluster, and the Legion of Merit. He retired from the Army in 1982 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.Don was an avid runner and enjoyed running in the New York City Marathon and others. He also was a great football fan, and met the love of his life, Alice (Ernick), at a University of Washington football game. After retiring from the Army, Don pursued a career in counseling, allowing him to continue his ministry to people, helping others successfully cope with the demands of life. There is no small number of people who credit Don with helping them turn their life around.Don is survived by his wife, Alice, his son John (Pat), grand-daughters Sharon Ramirez, Julianne Demery (Rian) and Katharine Evarts (Jeremy), as well as great grandchildren John Demery, David Ramirez, and Ellie, Gideon, Josie and Zeke Evarts.In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the First Presbyterian Church, Oceanside (Meals With a Message ministry).