Michael P Davies

Michael Peter Davies died on July 28, 2025
Born in London, England on June 3, 1931, "Peter" was the beloved son of John "Jack" Davies and Eleanor "Pat" Knight, and big brother to Anthony ("Tony").
Peter lived a full life with a very diverse set of experiences and accomplishments. After surviving the London Blitz, and during his teenage years, Peter was a child actor in London's West End for several years, starring as Hopcroft Minor in the highly successful play The Happiest Days of Your Life. He spent 3 months at Lambourn Stables riding thoroughbred horses before serving in the Royal Air Force for a 2-year period. It was through a local theatre company that he started in Amersham in 1954 where he met the love of his life, Dorothy Warr, an aspiring actress looking for an interesting role. By December 1955 they were happily married, and 18 months later they emigrated to the United States, ultimately settling down in Staten Island, New York.
In 1962 Dorothy and Peter welcomed their first child, Steven, followed by John in 1965, and Richard in 1967. Peter was a kind and generous man, and a loving and giving father. He supported his family by working as an insurance broker, ultimately taking over the business in 1970, but his real passion was in helping others who he believed had been wronged to achieve social justice. There were many such examples over the years, with the most prominent one being the families of the victims of the Kent State Shootings in 1970. Peter led the effort to pressure the Nixon Administration to convene a federal grand jury to investigate the shootings, through appeals to the Justice Department and Congress, ultimately authoring a book in 1973, The Truth About Kent State, which was prominently reviewed on the cover of the New York Times Book Review.
Throughout the 1970s, Peter gave countless speeches to large crowds at universities across the country and appeared on the Phil Donohue Show. He was considered to be the foremost expert on the details of the tragedy and was hired as a historical consultant in the making of the TV movie Kent State.
After retiring, Peter and Dorothy moved to Manahawkin, NJ, and shortly thereafter the first of their eight grandchildren were born.
His son Steven and wife Lori have two children, Bryan and Sara
His son John and wife Janice have three children, Julia, Luke and Ava
His son Richard and wife Annie have three children, Caitlin, Jack and Harry.
Peter and Dorothy loved hosting all the holiday celebrations in Manahawkin for over 25 years, and there are so many fond memories from those times that will be cherished for years to come. Thanks to Peter he has documented the details of his and his loved ones' lives in a series of incredible hand-written bound books which will be treasured for generations to come. His children and grandchildren love their Dad/Gramps and will be forever grateful for the time shared and memories with him.
He will be greatly missed.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to St. Jude's Children Research Hospital, www.stjude.org, would be appreciated.