John passed away peacefully at the age of 82 on August 8, 2022 at Moose Mountain Lodge in Carlyle after a short illness. He is preceded by his parents and sister, and survived by his former spouse, Laverne, and their blended family, Leanne, Marla, Kimberly and John, and grandchildren, Brock, Colby and Yasmine.
Born in 1940 in Hutchinson, Kansas, to Gordon and Blanchette Davies, John or "John C." grew up in the country and from a very young age helped on the farm by raising goats and shooting coyotes. As a young adult, John spent some time at the University of Kansas under a rodeo scholarship where he enjoyed literature classes. He went on to join the United States Air Force Reserves, completing basic training in Texas and later working within the aircraft maintenance department. John spent many miles on the road, and was always proud that he had visited every continental American state and almost all Canadian and Mexican provinces/states. Eventually settling in Arcola, far from the Kansas prairie where he originated, John consistently had ties to agriculture and the cattle industry, working at the Alameda and Arcola sale barns, raising yearlings, and trading farm machinery.
In his spare time, John loved fishing and cooking, sometimes combining the enjoyment of both with fishing trips to northern Saskatchewan where he would cook lakeside fried fish feasts for his fisherman friends. Baked beans, chicken fried steak, and skirt steak fajita were among his other specialties. Forget farm-to-table, John enjoyed his calf fries bull-to-skillet the same day, biting into them before the calf knew it was a steer. And perhaps missing his calling as a food blogger, later in life he gave up the fried fish for microwaved and coined his own unique and healthier recipe for fish: "30 seconds on reheat".
A private burial will take place in Arcola. A public memorial is planned for summer 2023, with the date to be announced at a later time. In lieu of flowers, those wishing to pay tribute to John may do so via a donation in his memory directly to Friends of Moose Mountain Lodge (Cheque payable to Town of Carlyle; please write "Friends of MML" in the memo line; PO Box 729 Carlyle, SK S0C 0R0), which is responsible for helping the care facility feel more like a home.
The family wishes to give a special thank you to the entire staff and teams at Arcola Home Care, Arcola Hospital, Arcola Family Health Clinic and Moose Mountain Lodge for the medical care and kindness provided to John over the past years. John’s children would also like to extend a special thank you to their mother, Laverne, who was a beacon of support during John’s transition to the home and time thereafter.
Arrangements in care of the Orsted Funeral Home (Carlyle)
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