Jerry Wayne Davis

Jerry W. Davis, 81, of Fort Collins, CO passed away Monday, December 30, surrounded by family.
Jerry was born July 6, 1943, in Fort Collins CO to Monte A. Davis and Eliza E. Wood Davis, the youngest of 14 children. He spent his early childhood years on his family's farm in Wellington, CO, before his family moved to LaPorte, CO in 1948. He is a graduate of the Cache La Poudre High School Class of 1961, where he was a competitive athlete who loved football, basketball, and was a state champion in track.
Shortly after graduation from high school, Jerry started working at the Colorado State University Engineering Research Center Machine Shop (ERC Shop) as a "surface engineer," sweeping floors and cleaning up after the machinists. He learned on the job to be a talented machinist and worked his way up to be shop manager before his retirement in 1999.
He was known both within the university and nationally for building specialized equipment from a broad range of materials, and especially for his ability to transform sketches on napkins into precise models or prototypes. Outside of the ERC, he had a lifelong passion for ranching and farming. He raised livestock, predominantly cattle, but also horses, sheep, pigs, chickens, peacocks and pheasants over the years; and put up many acres of hay around the LaPorte and northern Fort Collins area.
He always had Australian Shepherd companions and "Digger" was his favorite. Jerry was also a self-taught automotive expert, growing from his love of Corvettes. He could fix anything, always had the right tool to lend, and could make any part that you needed. He cherished good food, especially desserts, and time with family; he was especially proud of his daughters and granddaughters many sheep and cattle showing trophies.
He is preceded in death by his parents, brothers and sisters Noel, Basil, Irma, Anne, Donald, Aggie Mae, Albert, Robert, Mary, Dorothy, John, and Monte Jr. (Buzz), and nephews Chad Davis and Rick Hobbs. He is survived by his wife Michelle Davis of Fort Collins, CO, daughters Amy (Michael) Frink (Eaton, CO) and Erica (Timothy Ogden) Davis (West Chester, PA), brother Tom (Jane) Davis, grandchildren Jenna, Kayla and Lauren Frink and Nathanael and Jackson Ogden, and 20 nieces and nephews.
A Memorial Service will be held in his beloved pasture after the spring thaw; details are forthcoming. Donations in Jerry's honor can be made to Pathways Hospice Care Center, 305 Carpenter Road, Fort Collins, CO 80525 or at https://pathways-care.org/give-now/