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Gary Davis Obituary
Gary A. Davis
July 28, 1938 - Sept. 30, 2023
CROSS PLAINS - Gary A. Davis, 85, of Cross Plains, passed away on September 30, 2023, at St. Mary's Hospital.
Gary was born on July 28, 1938, in Salt Lake City, UT, the son of LaVon and Pearl Davis. He married Frances (Cathy) Clemmer on December 19, 1961. Gary obtained a BS from the University of Utah and pursued graduate studies at the University of Wisconsin (UW), Madison, where he completed a PhD in psychology.
He joined the faculty of the Educational Psychology Department, in the School of Education, at UW Madison in 1965, and retired in 1994. He was an internationally recognized authority in the areas of human creativity and gifted education. He was a talented and prolific writer, with textbooks translated in several languages.
Gary enjoyed scuba, running, skiing, golf, traveling, and spending time with his children and grandchildren.
He is survived by his wife, Cathy; and three children: Kirsten Davis, Ingrid Frost, and Sonja (Richard) Thorley; grandchildren: Nathan, Chelsea, Tegan, and Neil; and a great-grandchild, Lilly. He is also survived by his sister, Bonnie Nielsen.
Gary had a generous, outgoing spirit and lived life to the fullest. He will be greatly missed.
We are grateful to the loving staff at Sonrisas Assisted Living and to Agrace HospiceCare for all the compassion and care that Gary received during this past year.
A family tribute will take place this spring in the Rocky Mountains.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a charity of choice.
Cress Center
6021 University Ave. Madison
(608) 238-8406
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Memories and Condolences
for Gary Davis
Sponsored by Cress Funeral & Cremation Service - Madison - Far West.
3 Entries
Frank Farley
October 19, 2023
This is such a loss to his family, his friends and his admirers in the world of research and education in creativity and giftedness. He was a brilliant scholar and writer and my convivial colleague at the University of Wisconsin.
Todd Oyen
October 11, 2023
I was in Tae Kwon Do with Dr. Davis. He was a great training partner. Our mutual enjoyment of running also led us to run the Syttende Mai together. He won. He also mentored me and helped me during my early college years at UW. I lost contact when I moved away, but I will always remember him as a good friend and mentor.
Penny Britton Kolloff
October 9, 2023
Gary was such a wonderful person and leader in our field. Among my favorite memories was how thoroughly and carefully he edited my chapter in the Handbook of Gifted Education. I learned from this process and his patience draft after draft. I'm pretty sure I had never before or since received such attention to my writing.
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Cress Funeral & Cremation Service - Madison - Far West6021 University Ave, Madison, WI 53705
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