Fletcher Davis

1935 - 2024

Fletcher Davis

Amherst, MA - Fletcher Davis passed away at his home on November 29, 2024, at the age of 89. Fletcher and his wife, Elizabeth, have lived in Amherst for the past ten years.

Fletcher was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1935. Th family moved pursuant to his father's work as a law professor. His childhood years were spent in Austin , Texas. His junior high years were in Cambridge MA at Shady Hill School. Fletcher graduated from University High School in Minneapolis in 1954; he received his B.A. degree from Harvard College in 1958. Fletcher enrolled at Church Divinity School of the Pacific in Berkeley CA, graduating in 1961 with an Master of Divinity degree. Fletcher was an athlete all his life with a focus on Olympic caliber swimming skills and tennis, backpacking and hiking.

Fletcher and his wife, Elizabeth, met on a converted World War II troop ship crossing the Atlantic Ocean in 1957. On August 15 1959 he and Elizabeth were married at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Weston, MA. In August of this year they celebrated their 65th year of marriage.

Fletcher was ordained an Episcopal priest in 1961 and served in four congregations in California. Those churches included three in the Central Valley of California: vicar of a small church in Lemoore, site of a major naval air station; rector of St. John's in Porterville; rector of St. Columba's in Fresno where he helped establish a dental clinic for farm worker families in the area.

In southern California he was rector of St. Anselm's in Garden Grove where he was both the rector of the church and director of a resettlement center for Vietnamese refugees; rector of St. Thomas, Thousand Oaks in Ventura County and director of the day school in that parish. In 1968 Fletcher was a missionary with the Anglican Church in Botswana, Africa. He was also chair of the Citizen's Advisory Council on refugee issues for two successive California governors.

In 1989 Fletcher accepted a call to be rector of St. Thomas, Medina in the Seattle metropolitan area. There he was also director of the day school at the parish. Fletcher retired from active ministry in 2000; he and Elizabeth retired to Whidbey Island north of Seattle.

Fletcher and Elizabeth moved to Amherst in 2014, residing in the Applewood Retirement Community. He served on the Board of Directors for the Loomis Communities (parent organization for Applewood) for eight years. Fletcher began the Being Mortal group at Applewood ten years ago. He had just completed his memoir, Fair Play: From Agony to Alleluia.

Family survivors include his wife Elizabeth, daughter Heather Davis of Amherst, son Peter Davis of Easthampton, grandchildren Cole Davis-Brand and Audrey Davis-Brand of Amherst,

daughter in-law, Nina Brand of Amherst, sister Lynn Davis Hechter of Naples, Florida, nephew Michael Hechter of Hawaii, niece Julie Schuster of Worcester.

A memorial service will be held Friday, January 3, 2025 at 11am at the Grace Episcopal Church, 14 Boltwood Ave, Amherst, MA 01002

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to Grace Episcopal Church, 14 Boltwood Ave, Amherst, MA 01002. http://www.gracechurchamherst.org

Memorial guestbook at www.douglassfuneral.com