Richard Carson Davis

Sep. 4, 1930 – Feb. 22, 1997

Richard C. “Dick” Davis, 66, of 1505 E. Washington Street, South Bend, Ind., died of natural causes at his home on Friday, Feb. 21, 1997.

Born in Evansville, Ind., on Sept. 2, 1930, to “Buck” and Lucille Davis, Dick moved to South Bend when he was five years old. His long and successful writing and sales career began about that time when Dick began writing poems and selling them door-to-door. Always looking to make a buck, Dick worked in his father’s restaurant, Hill’s Snappy Service, during his teen years.

He graduated from Adams High School in 1948, and due to a temporary lapse in judgment, enrolled at Purdue University the following autumn.

Fortunately, his stay in West Lafayette was cut short when he was drafted into military service. He served in the U.S. Army in Korea during the Korean Conflict and was honorably discharged.  In November 1953, he married the love of his life, Marlene Tobolski, at St. Hedwig’s Catholic Church in South Bend.

The newlyweds moved to Bloomington, Ind., where Dick enrolled in the Indiana University School of Business. Marlene supported him during that time by working as secretary to the dean of the business school. Although Dick was named to Beta Gamma Sigma for his high academic achievements, he succumbed to a job offer and entered the business world following his junior year at Indiana.

The ensuing years took Dick and Marlene on a circuitous route across the country, as Dick worked for Collier Encyclopedia in sales management  positions in Fort Wayne, Memphis, Chicago, Cincinnati, San Diego, Seattle and  Los Angeles. He managed a sales force of several hundred and won numerous awards during his years with Collier.

Dick and his family, which included a son, Michael, and a daughter, Gayle, returned to South Bend in 1968. He enrolled at Indiana University at South Bend where he completed his bachelor’s degree in business while attending night school.

Dick launched MGD Portfolios, a small publishing company, in 1978. Marlene joined him as vice president of the company in the early 1980’s, and worked at his side until her untimely death in September 1988. Dick served as president and chief writer for the company, which served hundreds of clients all over the United States. He continued to operate MGD Portfolios until his death.

A man of varied interests, Dick enjoyed golfing with his father Buck, his nephew Kevin, his son-in-law Randy, and many golfing buddies who knew him as “Uncle Dick”. He was a voracious reader, and also wrote for pleasure. He continued to write poetry, often for his grandchildren, and had also begun work on a book. He loved all kinds of animals, and once blocked traffic on the Indiana Toll Road to allow a mother duck and her ducklings to cross. Dick also enjoyed traveling and following I.U. football and basketball.

Dick was called “Ralph Kramden” by his family, due to the new business ideas he continually sprouted. He was creative to the end. At the time of his death, his family found plans for a new golf-related invention, the “Tee-Boxx,” on his kitchen table.

Dick is survived by his son and daughter-in-law, Michael and Lidia Davis of Chicago, Ill.; his daughter and son-in-law, Gayle and Randy Stauffer; and their children, Katherine and Reed of Boise, Idaho; his sisters, Jayne Patterson and Sandy Varga of South Bend; and three nephews and two nieces.

A private memorial service was held today at Highland Cemetery, where Dick will be interred with his wife.

Published in the South Bend Tribune on February 25, 1997.

Source:  Ancestry.com, Newspapers.com

01/07/2024 DEC