Colonel Charles Raymond Davies

Colonel Charles Raymond Davies, US Army, Retired, 73, of Shelbyville, Indiana died peacefully in his sleep Friday, March 21, 2014 at his residence. He has joined his parents, Charles William and Lenora (Benoit) Davies; brother, Yancy Davies; sisters, Vivienne Neal, Lucille Pearce and Althea Pitre; sons, Eric William Davies and Charles Raymond Davies Jr.; and granddaughters, Amelia and Crystal Quigley. He is survived by his wife, Ingeburg (Kreimann) Davies; daughters, Evelyn (Davies) Quigley and husband, Mark and Roxanne (Davies) Phillips and husband, Chuck; and son, Charles Ryan Davies. Charles was born September 22, 1940, in Hackberry, Louisiana, and grew up in the bayou country of southwest Louisiana. His passions included ballroom dancing, hunting and fishing, diving and water skiing. He was a graduate of LaGrange Sr. High School and McNeese State College and a proud member of the Gator and McNeese Football Teams. He enlisted in the US Army and completed a tour in Germany before returning to McNeese to be commissioned a Second Lieutenant. His life-long quest for learning sent him to the Army War College, Command and General Staff College, and the University of Utah, where he completed his MBA. After his tour of duty in Vietnam, Charles had a break in service and worked in the Department of Social Services in Salt Lake City, Utah while remaining on duty in the Army Reserves. After a distinguished 34-year military career, he retired as a full Colonel to his farm in Shelbyville, Indiana where he loved taking care of his land and watching the wildlife in and around his ponds and woods. The Army instilled in him a life-long passion for traveling and adventure, such as taking his family hiking and skiing in the Rocky Mountains and on vacations all over the world, including trips on military aircraft to Hawaii and Bermuda. He was devoted to his country and his family, and he tackled life's challenges with courage and a sense of humor, living each day to the fullest. We thank you for your love and for having been our strength and support. You were the wind beneath our wings, the one who was always there for us, and the one we could always count on to know where to go and what to do. We will miss you immensely. May our merciful God rest you in peace. Visitation will be from 10:00 AM to 12:00 Noon at Johnson Funeral Home on Tuesday April 1, 2014, with a Rosary to be recited at noon at the funeral home. A Mass of Christian Burial will follow at 1:00 PM at St. Margaret Catholic Church. Burial will be at Highland Cemetery with full military honors. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate memorial contributions to be made to Franciscan VNS St. Francis Hospice, Franciscan Alliance Foundation-St. Francis Health, 5255 E. Stop 11 Road, Suite 245, Indianapolis, Indiana 46237, in memory of Colonel Davies.