Paul R. Davis 1944 - 2024

Paul R. Davis passed away July 12, 2024, at the age of 79, with his wife, Karen, by his side. Born October 2, 1944, in Seattle, to Tim and Betty Davis, Paul spent most of his young years living in Portland and then Scholls, Oregon, where his father owned and tended an orchard of walnut, filbert, and prune trees. He attended Woodstock Elementary in Portland and then Groner Elementary in Scholls, and then went on to Hillsboro Union High School (Hilhi), where he excelled in math and the sciences, graduating in 1962.

He went on to receive a B.A. from Linfield College (now University) in 1966, and a subsequent Ph.D. in Physics from Washington State University in 1972, after which he did his post-doctoral work at the Fritz Haber Institute Max Planck Gesellschaft in Berlin, Germany. He also spent two years with researchers at the University of Bristol, where he studied the surface physics of moon rocks. After returning to the U.S. in 1975, he worked at NASA Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. While he was living in California, he met and married Karen Davis (Thompson), the love of his life.

Returning to Oregon in 1978, he worked at the Oregon Graduate Institute where he did research in thermionic energy conversion and electron beam field emission and taught, eventually serving as the Physics Department Chair. Bringing with him over $1 million in research grants, he returned in 1991 to his alma mater, Linfield, to teach. While at Linfield, he taught physics, astronomy, and meteorology, did research at LRI and also served as department head for four years before retiring.

Paul was not only a scientist, but he was also an outdoorsman. He loved backpacking, fishing, and duck hunting with a good Labrador retriever as a companion. He had been on many backpacking trips to the Sierra Mountains in California and the Wallowa Mountains and Three Sisters in Oregon. Always a dog lover (especially Labs), Paul had many dogs throughout his life: Labs, Jack, Millie, and Lucy, to name a few. Paul also liked to garden, growing garlic, asparagus, and a variety of peppers in his raised gardens. Other favorites of his were going on cruises, working on his boats, playing cards with friends, watching football and auto racing, reading a good book, and drinking a good beer. He was loved by many as a friendly easygoing guy and a patient teacher. He will be dearly missed.

Paul was preceded in death by his parents, Tim and Betty Davis. He is survived by his wife, Karen Davis; his sister, Judy Hixson; his children, Steven Davis (Debra), Kimberly Sawyer, and Lela Gustine; grandchildren, Samantha, Damon, Cassie, Natalie, Wesley, and Delaney; and great-grandchildren, Kholton, and Shadow.

A celebration of Paul’s life will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, July 27, 2024, at the Chapel of Macy & Son Funeral Home, 135 N.E. Evans St., McMinnville, OR 97128. In lieu of flowers, contributions on Paul's behalf  can be made to your favorite charity. To leave online condolences, please visit www.macyandson.com