Thursday, October 1, 2026
Eddie P. Davis died at home in Olympia on Sept. 1 at age 96. He spent most of life in the Northwest, but he was born at home in a hamlet in Northwest Arkansas called Minnow Creek, the fifth of eight children of Newton Calvin Davis and Norma Odessa (Pearson) Davis.
His father farmed their land and taught school around the area, including in the one-room schoolhouse Eddie attended until the family moved to McCleary, Washington, in 1942. Throughout his life, Eddie expressed a love for Minnow Creek and an interest in the families with whom he spent his early years.
He graduated from Elma High School in 1946 and returned to Arkansas to attend Harding College, though lack of funding prevented him from completing his fourth year. A cousin who was returning to campus asked Eddie to watch out for his girlfriend, Nadine Metcalf, while he was gone. Many games of checkers on a family front porch ensued, followed by shared bus rides to and from work in Clarksville, resulting in Eddie and Nadine marrying in the summer of 1950.
The newlyweds took the train to McCleary to be near his family and the good wages of the Simpson plywood mill. Initially, they both worked at the mill: Nadine as a switchboard operator, while Eddie worked on the green chain pulling lumber.
Two children were born before the family moved to Shelton and a larger Simpson mill where Ed assisted the sawyers operating one of the enormous saws. On one occasion he would have been killed except for the quick thinking of a sawyer, and he maintained a lifelong respect for the intelligence and skill of the men in the mills.
In 1956, the family moved to Olympia where he started selling life insurance for Prudential and later with Griffith, Hunt, and Burwell. Two more children were born, and in 1963 Eddie got on with the State of Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services where he rose to become the Director of the Division of Disability Determinations.
His job was challenging and occupied his mind far beyond work hours. We as children appreciated how hard both parents worked on our behalf, but none of us were as interested as we should have been in the issues that determined whether people qualified for Social Security disability pensions, cases our father would often describe at length over family dinners.
The work suited him — fast-paced, intensely political, and requiring a grasp of complex information. In 1992, he won a Governor’s Management Award, a recognition in which he took pride.
However, the following year he underwent open heart surgery and decided to retire and devote what time he had left to enjoying life rather than to the grind of being a good administrator. No one knew he would live for more than 30 years, a great deal of time in which to torment his children and grandchildren with war stories about his work.
Ed was a gregarious man, a super recognizer who was always able to talk to many types of people. He was a student of politics and history. For over 20 years he was active in Kiwanis, especially in the Kiwanis garden. At home, he raised dahlias and garden vegetables, and loved mowing his lawn and trimming the hedge.
Ed appreciated cars and mechanics, and though he never took great care of his tools, he was always sure he could find them or borrow what he needed. Ed also loved watching sports and performances of all kinds, especially those in which his grandchildren and great-grandchildren participated. Over the course of 50 years, he and Nadine showed up at events no matter how long the drive or bitter the weather. The family was their joy.
As a young man, Ed was active in the Church of Christ as were many families from Arkansas. Though he eventually moved away from that community, he possessed a deep faith which respected all faiths. In recent years, he was part of a small fellowship in Olympia.
In June of 2025, he lost his beloved Nadine, and his aging accelerated. Yet, one week before his death, when back pain was mostly keeping him in bed, he got up for brief periods, still eager for his coffee (black), newspapers, and updates about family, the Mariners and the stock market.
He was a warm and generous man who will be greatly missed.
Eddie is survived by his four children: Barbara Ann Davis, Myra Sue Davis, Pamela Maxine Taggart (George), and Michael Edward Davis (Janie). He is also survived by grandchildren Dylan Davis-Bloom (Keila), Cutter Park Taggart (Aimée), Colburn Daniel Davis, Conrad Davis Pisaro (Natalie), Benjamin Davis-Bloom (Julia), Christopher Davis (Colleen), and Carol Nadine Davis, along with 10 great-grandchildren, and four nieces, a nephew, and their progeny.
His ashes will be laid to rest at the McCleary Cemetery next to his wife, and near her mother, his parents, and many families from Northwest Arkansas.
The Davis family is grateful to the medical providers who helped our father survive so long, and for the support of the medical and hospice providers at Providence St. Peter Hospital. Special thanks go to his wonderful neighbors, and to the Pharmacy and staff at Ralph’s Thriftway for their support and kindness. Final arrangements were handled by Funeral Alternatives of Lacey.
A memorial will be held on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 1–3 p.m. at the Friendly Meeting House, 3201 Boston Harbor Rd NE in Olympia. Though not required, RSVPs to edavis124@comcast.net would be appreciated.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Thurston County Food Bank or Union Gospel Mission.
