David Donald Davis (Dave)

David Davis, treasured husband, father, brother, grandfather, and friend, died on Saturday, Feb. 22nd, three days shy of his 72nd birthday.

Dave's life revolved around building and making things better; he built places, community, and wonderfully caring relationships.

From the start, Dave built relationships with his parents and siblings, and his foster parents and siblings. He was quick to help whenever needed, and grew to become a great farmer and builder. As a young adult he loved wrestling; his superhuman discipline and will helped him succeed.

He built and renovated houses and properties for a living; anything you needed done he knew how to do. If he didn't know how? He'd learn quickly and roll that skill into what he already knew. Dave was always learning more so he could do more.

Driving through the city of Plattsburgh, you'll see many signs of Dave's carpentry talent. The front steps at City Hall, the custom fence at the Kent Delord House, the Max Moore Memorial Treehouse, the dugouts at South Acres Park, and countless homes throughout Plattsburgh were created or improved by his talented hands and will be there for all to enjoy for generations to come.

Dave built a loving family with his first wife, Kathy, and the four children they had together, Dave(y), Kathy Ellen, Debbie, and Billy. He built the house they called home and enjoyed building a homemade playground for his kids, including a tire-tree, a sandbox with a roof for all weather play, a bridge with a slide, and a two story treehouse modeled after their house. The playground was so well built that on multiple occasions it was mistaken for a public playground! As the years went on, Dave continued to build anything his family needed with ease and joy.

As the kids got more into sports, Dave built himself into the communities found there. Maybe you knew him from Beartown, where he helped any way he could, including making snow! Maybe you knew him as a Little League coach or board member. Maybe you knew him as a Babe Ruth coach, a baseball commentator, or a soccer coach. Whatever he was involved with, he gave it his all.

He built community in small ways too; in his Suburban giving rides to other players to games, in the stands cheering on his kids and their teammates, in his cab plowing driveways for neighbors. Anywhere he went he had something to talk about and made connections with others.

After he and Kathy separated, Dave set himself the task of building a new home where he could gather and support his family. He was always happy to have his kids at the house and hear their ideas for how to improve the place, and even hosted a small business there for one of his kids.

Dave became a grandpa in 2013 and by 2021 was the proud grandpa to eight grandkids. He adored spending time with them so much that he built a carpeted play area into his living room to make his house a more welcoming space for them, and would frequently drop what he was doing to go play. He shared homemade toy trucks, made the grandkids custom tables and chairs, and fixed up four wheelers for them. Dave settled nicely back into his role of fan in the stands for his grandkids that lived nearby, and enjoyed getting videos of his grandkids who lived farther away.

Dave loved supporting his kids through their parenting and adult journeys by babysitting, lending a helping hand with repairs, making toys and things they needed, cooking his world-famous breakfast and popcorn, sharing advice, supporting their small businesses, and even attending the homebirth of his last grandchild.

Dave got the chance to build even more relationships when he met his wife, Susanna. Her big family, including siblings, kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids got to know Dave well as they stitched their families together into one big one. He loved it; more people for him to cheer on, support, and enjoy the property he built.


Once he hit retirement, he and Susanna spent a lot of time at the house, hosting family and friends, gardening, and watching the birds out the window while eating (and cursing the geese for pooping on the lawn). They traveled to visit family and did so whenever they had the chance; he enjoyed adventures with his siblings, including motorcycle rides, and visits with family along the route they took to get there or back home.

This year, Dave was particularly excited about restoring his 1929 model A, finishing the gazebo on his property, helping out friends, and making his self-made pond into an ice skating rink for everyone to enjoy. He was excited about the warmer weather and looked forward to hosting more family and friends up at his house, as well as tackling his self-imposed, never-ending project list.

Dave left an impression on everyone he met; we'd love to hear the stories you have about your time with him. These stories will be treasured, as we can never hear enough anecdotes about someone we love. If you have a story or four that you'd like to share with his family about Dave, please call 1-800-437-3009 and use the invitation number 94162. This leads to an answering machine service where you can share a message for up to 30 minutes so make sure to share all the details.

A celebration of life will be held June 21st, 2025 in the Plattsburgh area, with more details to come. If you'd like to make sure you're notified, please call the number above. Within your message leave your name and phone number or email and his family will make sure you are kept in the loop.