Richard Paul Davis lost his fight with esophageal cancer on Aug. 17, 2019, and he’s rather ticked off about it.

Richard was born to Robert and Margaret Davis in 1947. They were so enchanted with their firstborn they had two more children—Timothy and Elizabeth. Growing up without helicopter parents and mobile devices, Richard amused himself with fire, sharp objects and wild animals.

Richard attended Oberlin College until 1969 when the dean handed him a diploma and sent him on his merry way.

After dabbling as a taxi driver, photojournalist and restaurant manager, Richard chose a career in finance, retiring from Edward Jones in 2017. He loved his clients dearly, especially the ones who didn’t panic when the stock market dipped.

Richard married June in 1974. Mesmerized by her beauty, he soon learned that he’d met his match in feistiness. Their passionate union produced three dynamite children: Sarah, Timothy and Rachel, which later led to six better-than-average grandchildren and some halfway decent spouses.

When his kids were young, Richard had two back-to-back open-heart surgeries replacing faulty heart valves with mechanical ones. The Grim Reaper tried his best to take him, but Richard kept ticking for 30 more years.

In his free time, Richard directed musicals at church and Whidbey Playhouse, taught Boy Scouts how to survive an apocalypse and coached girls’ soccer. He was also a proud Rotarian and served on the Oak Harbor City Council. When he wasn’t in charge, he sat front and center and offered suggestions.

Richard believed in serendipity and loved to wander without an agenda. He explored 50 states and over 50 countries. Death tried to take him on a scuba trip in the Bahamas, a snow hike in the Rocky Mountains and in a game reserve in Zambia, but he lived to tell the tales.

Richard liked several people, but he loved all animals. There’s reasonable suspicion that he adored his dogs and wild birds more than his children. In lieu of flowers consider a donation to Whidbey Animals Improvement Foundation, www.waifanimals.org

Please wear something fabulous and come celebrate his life with us at 2 p.m. Friday, Aug. 30, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Freeland.