Lester "Les" T. Davis

Lester “Les” Thomas Davis, 92, with his family at his side, passed away December 16, at Aggie’s Country Living in Eagleton.

Les was born on December 21, 1930, to the late Frances E. (Schneider) and Lester A. Davis, in Minneapolis, MN. From an early age, he was an only child raised by his mother. Faith, family, and friends were the driving ingredients in his life. Les used his Catholic faith to care for his mother, raise a family, and build a network of professional and personal friends.

Les developed his work ethic early in life. In grade school, he had a paper route that required him to bike to the office buildings in downtown Minneapolis. It was during these years that he would often ride along with his uncles and wait in the car while they took care of their daily activities. His aunts and uncles were instrumental in guiding him throughout life and he loved them dearly.

After graduating from De La Salle High School in 1948, he briefly attended St. Thomas College to study pre-engineering. Before finishing his studies, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was assigned to the LST 988. While in the Navy, he applied and was accepted to the Navy Electronics School and developed a fascination and passion for electronics. He was honorably discharged in 1955.

In the fall of 1956, he met Rosemary Bachel at a Catholic youth center dance in Hopkins, MN. Their relationship blossomed and they married on September 7, 1957. Over the next 66 years, he would devote himself to being the best husband, to the love of his life and provider for his family.

Les started his engineering career at Engineering Research Associates in St. Paul. While at ERA, he met a computer engineer by the name of Seymour Cray. In the years to follow, the two men developed a partnership that would last for decades. In 1957, a group of employees left ERA to start Control Data. Les followed two years later.

Control Data proved to be a highly successful company and he worked with Seymour on several projects. In 1962, Control Data built a facility in Chippewa Falls and Les uprooted his family to follow the team. In 1972, he was one of seven employees to leave Control Data and start up Cray Research. While at Cray Research, he was blessed to work with some of the most talented and dedicated people to develop the world’s fastest supercomputers. He retired from Cray Research in 1995.

Upon retiring, he spent as much time with family as he could. He would go to countless grandkid activities (school masses, ball games, plays, concerts, etc.) and spent countless hours researching and documenting his family genealogy.

Les is survived by his wife, Rosemary; four children, Theresa (Dave) Meinen, Jane Davis, Tom (Pam) Davis, Mary Davis (Craig Joslin) all of Chippewa Falls; five grandchildren, Nicole (Matt) Bowe of Chippewa Falls, Ryan (Ashleigh) Meinen of Lake Elmo, MN, Ali Davis (Joe Nigro III) of Hopkins, MN, Ashley (Sam) Rubenzer of Chippewa Falls and Andy (Claire) Davis of Lake Elmo, MN; and fourteen great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at Aggie’s Country Living and St. Joseph Hospice for their kindness and care.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the family that will be donated to many charities dear to Les’ heart.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11 a.m. on Friday, December 22, 2023, at Notre Dame Catholic Church, 117 Allen Street, Chippewa Falls, with a visitation beginning at 9:30 a.m. at church. Fr. Jesse Burish will be officiating. The interment will be in Hope Catholic Cemetery, Chippewa Falls with Military Honors conducted by the Chippewa Falls Patriotic Council. For those unable to attend, the service will be livestreamed/recorded and available to view at www.pedersonvolker.com/obituaries/lester-davis