Carl Gailen Davis

Carl Gailen Davis passed away Saturday, July 18, 2009 at Iowa Health Hospice Taylor House. Visitation will be 10:00 – 11:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 21, 2009 at Hamilton’s near Highland Memory Gardens with the funeral service at 11:00 a.m.
Carl was born on October 14, 1924 in Craig, Missouri. He was the second son of Floyd Clifford Davis and Mabel Nola (Browning) Davis.
He grew up near Craig on the family farm. He graduated from Craig High School in 1941. After high school, Carl attended Northwest Missouri State in Maryville, MO. He completed one year of college and joined the U.S. Army in 1942.
During WWII, Carl was the company commander’s driver in central Europe. He was assigned to help the medics recover fallen American soldiers, and was proud to claim he was part of the 70th Infantry Division. Carl was honorably discharged from the service in 1946.
In 1942, Carl met Ernestine Fuglsang, who he met through his brother, Guy, who married Ernestine’s sister, Wilma. After a four year courtship and Carl’s discharge from the Army, Carl and Ernestine were married on September 20, 1946.
Carl graduated from Northwest Missouri State in 1949, earning a teaching degree in music. He had a number of teaching positions including Gower, MO, Burlington Juncton, MO, Centerville, IA and many schools in central Iowa. In Fort Smith, AR, he was a salesman for Jenkins Music Company. Carl eventually quit teaching and started working for the City of Des Moines as a city housing inspector. He retired from the City of Des Moines in 1988.
During the summer months, Carl loved to travel with his family in their tent camper. They spent one summer traveling in their tent camper. They spent one summer traveling in the western mountain region to Yellowstone, Salt Lake City and the Grand Tetons. In retirement, Carl and Ernestine continued traveling in the RV to the south and west coasts. Carl also kept up with music by playing the tuba in the Urbandale Community Band and singing in a Barbershop Quartet. He also enjoyed gardening, growing lots of fruits and vegetables (especially tomatoes). Carl was very involved in Marquisville Methodist Church as their pianist, and also helped with the upkeep of the church.
He always had stories to tell family and friends about his great adventures, which included the great gasket blowout at their Dairy Queen in Centerville, which left Carl covered in ice cream mixture, to the time he decided to “repossess” his stolen car. There was never a dull moment when Carl re-lived his adventures.
Carl is survived by his wife of 62 years, Ernestine; three sons: Eugene (Cyndee), Steven (Julie), and Fred (Jean) Davis; 8 grandchildren; 9 great-grandchildren; and 2 great-great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents, Floyd and Mabel Davis, and his brother, Guy Davis. Carl will be missed.
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