Lazell Davis

Lazell Gordon Davis, 92, of Niles, Michigan, brother, husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, February 4, 2026, surrounded by his beloved family at the Ernestine M. Raclin House Center for Hospice Care in Mishawaka, Indiana.

He was born October 23, 1933, in New Troy, Michigan, to Lloyd and Marion H. (Guess) Davis. He moved to Niles as a child with his family. Lazell graduated from Niles High School in 1952 and continued his education at a trade school for machinists. After his first job on the assembly line at Studebaker Packard Corporation in South Bend, Indiana, Lazell and his brother-in-law, Don Ernsberger, founded Empire Machine Company in Niles in 1968. He was a true owner-operator, working as both a tool and die maker and a businessman, successfully producing quality products and creating long-term employment for his employees for 43 years until his retirement in 2011.

Lazell was a longtime member of First Baptist Church and recently began attending Hope Community Church in Niles. He was a member of the Niles Elks, where he enjoyed playing golf and spending time with friends.

He and Evelyn loved traveling throughout the United States in their motor home when their three girls were younger. Later in life, Lazell and Evelyn traveled to destinations such as Alaska, Greece, and Italy. The family enjoyed summers at their cottage in Bitely, Michigan, and winters in Venice, Florida.

He enjoyed hunting and fishing locally and always looked forward to an annual fishing trip with family in Canada. He was also a fan of Packard automobiles, owning and restoring several 1941-era models. He maintained a beautiful vegetable garden and more recently added six chickens, known as his "girls." Above all, his greatest joy was his family.

On April 4, 1953, at First Baptist Church in Niles, Lazell married his high school sweetheart, Evelyn M. Ernsberger, with whom he celebrated a remarkable sixty-ninth wedding anniversary prior to her death on June 4, 2022. He was also preceded in death by their daughter, Rebecca "Becky" Russcher, and by his sister, Nancy D. Nutt.

Surviving family members include his daughters, Elizabeth "Beth Ann" (Pat) Cooper of Holland, Michigan, and Malinda "Mindy" (Bill) Mottl of Niles; grandchildren Amanda (Jason) Isenga, Cory (Jessica) Cooper, Autum (Jon) Snikkers, Whitney Shearer (Brooks), Kyler Shearer, Davis (Carolyn) Russcher, Shelby Russcher, and Bryce Russcher; great-grandchildren, who referred to him as "Grandpa Laz," twins Londyn and Lakelyn, twins Zayn and Zaxtyn, Lilly, Keegan, Breslin, Hattie, Brody, Cooper, and Poppy; sisters Phyllis (Jim) Kearney and Donna (Fred) Krieger; and several nieces and nephews.

The funeral service for Lazell Davis will be at Noon on Tuesday, February 10, 2026 at the Halbritter-Wickens Funeral Home, 615 East Main Street in Niles, with the Rev. Nathanael Lyon, Lead Pastor of Hope Community Church officiating. Committal will follow at Mission Hills Memorial Gardens.

The family will receive relatives and friends on Tuesday, at the funeral home, beginning at 11:00 a.m. Contributions in memory of Lazell may be made to the American Cancer Society, Post Office Box 6704, Hagerstown, Maryland, 21741; https://www.cancer.org/. Memories and condolences may be left online at:

www.halbritterwickens.com

A common characteristic of a successful businessman is to be a “workaholic”, and Lazell invested the time and effort to earn that title, but he was wise and disciplined enough to make time for his family, and for traveling. Successful gardening and classic auto restoration, also requires a certain level of workaholism, but he also devoted the time and effort for a successful seven-decade-long marriage, and loving fathering and grandfathering; all evidence of 92 years of fulfilling the command to love God and love people.