James Mcknight Davis, Jr.

James (Jim) McKnight Davis, Jr., died on January 11, 2018, at Good Shepherd Hospice House in Manhattan, KS. He was 94 and a resident of Abilene since 1963.

Jim was a proud veteran of the US Navy and served from 1941-45 during World War II as a signalman and later on a submarine. During this time, he was stationed aboard a series of ships, including the USS Java, USS Uruguay, USS Cape Sandy, USS Mission San Fernando and USS Sea Raven. He saw much of the world during his service, sailing both oceans and the Panama Canal and crossing the International Date Line multiple times.

After the war, Jim got his pilot's license and bought a small plane that he flew on the weekends. In 1950, the plane crashed on takeoff from a Texas airfield. Jim and his new bride survived with minor injuries.

Jim had a long career in sales and marketing. He worked for the meatpacking industry and sold refrigeration equipment and feed/equipment for the greyhound racing industry. For a time, he owned and operated a small manufacturing plant producing dog and mink food.

Jim was married to Doris Elaine (Woods) Davis for 67 years and she survives him. They have three children, Doris of Houston, James McKnight III (wife Janet) of Augusta and Patricia of Washington, D.C. They also have three grandchildren, Emily, Wendy and Phillip, and three great grandchildren, Brantley, Gunnar and Ryder.

Jim was born in Mount Pleasant, Texas, the son of James M. and Nannie Jack (Murphree) Davis, and grew up in Beaumont, Texas. He had one brother William and four sisters, Elizabeth, Cora, Virginia and Nina. Only Nina survives.

Jim will be interred at the Kansas Veterans Cemetery in Manhattan in a spring ceremony. Memorial donations can be sent to The Homecare and Hospice Foundation, 3801 Vanesta Drive, Manhattan, KS, 66503 (800-748-7474).