Walter W. Davis

WALTER WARREN DAVIS, aged 96, died peacefully at his home in Millerton, New York, Wednesday, September 21, 2011.

He was born July 25, 1915 in Ennis, Texas to John Randolph Davis and Edith Warren Davis. He attended Southern Methodist University, Columbia University and graduated from Columbia Law School in 1937. He worked briefly as an attorney in New York City and served his country in the Army during World War II in the Judge Advocate General Corps in Washington, DC and in France, achieving the rank of Captain.

In 1942, Walter married June Cossart Finlay. They relocated to Millerton in 1947, where he continued to practice law. He formed the partnership of Davis & Trotta with Robert D. Trotta in 1967. At the time of his death, he had been practicing law for 73 years.

Walter served the Village of Millerton as Mayor and was Justice of the Peace for many years. He was a longtime member of the Lions Club, the American Legion, the Millerton Grange, and was a trustee of the United Methodist Church. He was on the Board of Directors of the Tabor Foundation and Irondale Cemetery and served as attorney for many local organizations. Through his life and work, Walter chose to represent the interests of the small town citizen and the value of the individual. He was a true gentleman and treated all people with equal respect.

Walter was an enthusiastic advocate of and trustee for the Institute for General Semantics. He supported numerous environmental and legal rights organizations. He had a great appreciation for music and the arts, was an avid gardener, sailor, traveler and reader. He and June, who predeceased him in 2008, were happily married for 64 years. Surviving him are his sister, Elizabeth Doak of Dallas, TX, his daughters, Debby Cromwell of Etna, NH, Nancy Vialpando of Millerton, Priscilla Davis of Santa Monica, CA, and Amy Davis of Durham, NC, and six grandchildren. He was a wise and profoundly decent man. He will be greatly missed.

Memorial donations may be made to The North East Historical Society, PO Box 727, Millerton, NY 12546; Irondale Cemetery Association, PO Box 6, Millerton, NY 12546; or the Institute of General Semantics, 3000A Landers Street, Fort Worth, TX 76107.

A memorial service will be held October 23, 2011 at 1:00 pm at the North East Millerton Library Annex, Century Boulevard in Millerton.

---