Aaron Donald Davis Jr.

Aaron Donald Davis, Jr, 93

Aaron Donald Davis, Jr., 93, passed away on Friday, August 15, 2025 in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. He will be laid to rest at the Washington State Veteran's Cemetery, with military honors.

Don was born on November 3, 1931 in Madera, CA to Aaron Sr. and Olive Newsom. He grew up in Oakland, CA, where he remembers being one of the few Caucasian students in a predominately Chinese elementary school. He loved that his fellow classmates called him by his name in Chinese. As his friends and family can attest, Don loved Chinese food.

He graduated from Chowchilla High School and then attended Fresno State University with degree in Political Science. Don married Shirley Anne Innes on June 25, 1955. Soon after, he entered the United States Air Force and served as a First Lieutenant in Évreux (Normandy) France. He often told stories of his time in France, reminiscing the food, the small cars he bought and sold, and the outings he took with Shirley throughout Western Europe. He enjoyed learning about foreign places, read National Geographic, watched travel shows, and studied maps regularly.

Don worked in the aluminum industry for many years as a salesman and manager, mostly for Reynolds Aluminum. He often took his children, Max and Jan, to the warehouse on the weekend to let them play and explore. He taught himself how to build and always maintained a neatly organized workshop.

Family vacations to state and national parks were big in the Davis family. They had a travel trailer, and driving 500 miles a day to the next destination was easy for Don. With Jan he took many drives exploring the Sandpoint area, and with Max he rode his BMW Dakar through the Western States and British Columbia. He skied and motorcycled into his 80's.

Having learned to fly in the U.S. Air Force, Don enjoyed attending fly-ins and watching the comings and goings of airplanes in the towns where he lived.

He is survived by two children, Robert Maxwell Davis of Santa Cruz, CA and Jan Davis of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

Lakeview Funeral Home in Sandpoint is handling the arrangements. Please visit Don's online memorial at www.lakeviewfuneral.com and sign his guest book.