Lester Curtis Davis, Jr.

A memorial service for Mr. Lester Curtis Davis, 89, of Monroe, LA, will be held at 2:00 P.M. Tuesday, October 17, 2023, at First Methodist Church in Monroe, LA, with Rev. Brian Mercer officiating. Visitation will be from 2:45 P.M. until 5:00 P.M. in the Fellowship Hall after the service. Additionally, there will be a brief visitation before the service.

Mr. Lester had a long journey, some of it was awful and perilous, but most of it was wonderful and filled with many happy surprises. Mr. Davis was born March 28, 1934, in Arcadia, LA, and passed away October 11, 2023, in Monroe, LA. We know that he is safely home.

Lester was inducted into the United States Marine Corps at 14 years old; yes, you read that correctly. He served in Korea as Staff Sergeant with the First Brigade First Division. While in the Marine Corps, he drove tanks in two John Wayne Movies, “Sands of Iwo Jima,” and “Halls of Montezuma.” He was former President of the Northeast Louisiana Archeological Association and was published for his work on The Poverty Point World Heritage Site. Mr. Lester was a published poet and a voracious reader, who read five or six books at a time. For a few years, he enjoyed working for the Monroe Symphony Book Fair. He was secretary treasurer of Monroe Karate Club and was always willing to teach a ladies’ safety course. He served on the YMCA board in Monroe and was heartsick when it closed. He loved weightlifting all his life, in 1984 he became state powerlifting champion in his age group, 50-60s. During his ten years with the Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Department, he participated in the department’s pistol team. He was an NRA firearms instructor and considered it an honor to help many deputies across the state qualify. With friends Howard Ulmer and AW Block, he formed the Ruston Gun Club that was active for many years. Working for the Social Security Administration for 34 years, as a supervisor, he felt it was his responsibility to uplift the lives of his employees as much as humanly possible while working for the public. He did his best to be good and kind to all he met, he loved breakfast at Lea’s… every day… for many years and is honored with his own chair. We will miss the Lester-isms, the wealth of knowledge, and the security of knowing that no matter how bad things were, you knew, when he walked in the room that everything was going to be ok.

Mr. Davis was preceded in death by his mother, Reecy MaHaffey; stepfather, Phillip MaHaffey; father, Lester Curtis Davis, Sr.; biological father, Harold Hilton; brother, Mike Hilton; sister-in-law, Ann Conway McClure; brother-in-law, Hershal McClure; mother-in-law, Lucille Conway; father-in-law, Hugh Conway; and niece, Robin Greiner.

Survivors include his wife of 67 years, Claire Conway Davis; daughters, Dedre Davis, Ann Davis, and Leesa Gautreaux and fiancé Greg Floyd; granddaughters, Sarah Best and her husband Steven, Beatrice Gautreaux, and Grace Gautreaux Viator and her husband Chase; great grandsons, Deacon Smith, Wyatt Manning, Colton Viator, and Cain Viator; extra daughter, Angela Bell; extra grandchildren, Katherine Price Slayden and Christopher Price and his wife Natasha; sisters, Sandy Greiner and Francis Fish; and brother, Tom Hilton.

Honorary pallbearers will be AW Block, Patrick McFadden, John Benton, Monroe Hilton, Jim Greggory, Steve Johnson, Toby Traylor, Laman Godwin, Richard Fewell, and Gene Baker.

In lieu of flowers, please make memorials to the River Cities Humane Society for cats…PLEASE.