ROBERT HOWE DAVIS of AMHERST, MASS, July 14, 1934 – September 14, 2017
September 28th, 2017 | 
Author: Robert Howe Davis, 83, of Amherst, passed away September 14, 2017 at the Holyoke Soldiers Home in Holyoke, MA after a short illness. Bob was born in Marblehead, MA, the son of Roy and Alice Davis.
Bob’s father owned a flower shop in Billerica, MA and that is where he began his love of plants and the outdoors. As a young man, he was an Eagle Scout and he graduated from the Stockbridge School of Agriculture at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. After graduation, he started his own landscaping business in Amherst and was drafted into the US Army where he served from 1960-63.
In 1962, Bob married Debora Macy Taylor of Pelham, MA and together they bought an old dairy farm in South Amherst where he ran his business. Bob loved horticulture, playing bridge, and, most of all, fishing. Whenever he could, he would travel to fish in Maine, Cape Cod, Florida, and especially Martha’s Vineyard during the Striped Bass and Bluefish Derby.
Bob had a Yankee sensibility about him and he valued hard work, common sense, and tenacity in those he knew or that worked for him over the years. His friends lovingly knew him as Bob, Archie (from All In The Family), or even the Mayor of South Amherst. Several of the young men that worked for him went on to other professions but never forgot the lessons Bob taught on the job and in life. Local kids received their first ride on a tractor or other piece of equipment from him and he was a favorite “Uncle Bob” to many. He was also a Shriner for many years and a longtime member of the Masons. He enjoyed helping people and, throughout his life, he was generous with his time for friends and strangers alike.
Bob is survived Debora Davis, his wife of 55 years, Taylor Davis, his wife, Karen Davis, their three wonderful children Ryan, Patrick, and Meghan, and his son, Daniel Davis, and his wife Pamela Mattson.
In keeping with Bob’s wishes, there will be no funeral services. A memorial luncheon for friends and family is planned for Saturday, October 21, from 1:00-4:00 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Society Social Hall (121 North Pleasant Street, Amherst, MA).
In lieu of flowers, please consider paying it forward by helping a stranger or neighbor in need – whether across the street or across the country. Bob would have liked that.
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