Obituary of John K. Davis

John K. Davis, age91, of Prospect Street, East Woodstock, passed away on May 3. He leaves his wife of nearly 65 years, Lucy (McNutt) Davis of East Woodstock, CT; two sons and their wives: John M Davis and Charlotte M Davis of Charlotte, NC and Robert B Davis and Margaret Weiland of Bellingham, Washington; three Grandchildren: Laura E. Davis, Esq. of Philadelphia, PA; Julian M. Davis, PhD of Austin, TX, and Dr. Christine Kirchner of Seattle, WA, and many nieces and nephews. Mr. Davis was born in 1913 in Webster, MA, graduated from Bartlett High School, attended Bowdoin College in Brunswick, ME, and graduated from Clark University, Worcester, MA in 1937. Mr. Davis began his working life as a teacher in Winterhaven, FL and never really lost his love of teaching, even after beginning a scientific job with American Optical Company where he worked from 1939 until his retirement in 1975 as Chief of Opthalmic sciences. He served as Associate Professor of Physiological Optics, Pennsylvania college of Optometry from 1975 to 1979. He then joined Gentex Optics Corporation as a consultant in Optics where he served until his retirement in 2001. Mr. Davis love of teaching, and his intense scientific curiosity led him to be a frequent lecturer and author, having published over 30 papers and book chapters on optics, lenses and vision. He was the holder of 9 patents on optical instruments and lenses. His reputation for scientific integrity was such that he served as an expert witness in a dozen trials which involved optical issues. His peers in the optical industry honored him with several awards: He was named to the National Academy of Opticianry Hall of Fame; was an Honorary Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and received the Sunglass Association of America First Annual Achievement award. A service to celebrate the life of Mr. Davis will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, May 7 at the East Woodstock Congregational Church in East Woodstock, CT, where Mr. Davis had been a member for almost 60 years. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to the East Woodstock Congregational Church, PO Box 156, East Woodstock, CT 06244, or to a charity of the donors choice. Arrangements by Smith & Walker Funeral Home, Putnam, CT, To share a memory with the family, Light a Candle at www.smithandwalkerfh.com