Lake Edwin Davisson (1892-1964)

DAVISSON, GREVAS, BARBER, HELSON, JOHNSON, ALLEN, LEVICK

Posted By: Dorian Myhre (email)
Date: 12/1/2013 at 21:52:00

From unknown paper September 1964

Longtime district court clerk died

Lake E. Davisson, 72, Nevada, clerk of the Story County District Court for nearly 44 years, died in Story County Hospital about 11:45 p.m. Sunday.

He had been in ill health for the past several months and was admitted to the hospital earlier that day. Death was attributed to cancer.

First elected to office 1920, Mr. Davisson served in the same post longer than any other county official in Iowa. A Republican, he won election 21 successive times, and held the office at the time of his death.

Born in Earlville, Ill., he moved with his family to Des Moines and later to Zearing, where he graduated from high school. He became a railroad engineer before he was 21, and was one of the youngest in the United States. Most of his railroading career was with the Great Northern Railway, on a run between Minneapolis and the Pacific coast.

He was a veteran of combat service with the Army in World War I, and was wounded several times.

He was a member of the Nevada Methodist Church, the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legion, Masonic bodies, Iowa and Story County Bar Associations and a 50-year member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen.

Survivors include a daughter, Mrs. Virginia Grevas, Brooklyn, N.Y.; two stepsons, Harold B. Barber of Portland, Ore. and John M. Barber, Sacramento, Calif.; four sisters, Mrs. Hazel Helson and Mrs. Grace Johnson, both of Chicago, Mrs. Dea Allen of Zearing and Mrs. Lyrtle Levick, Clemons; two brothers, Henry Davisson of Chicago and Murlin Davisson, San Diego; two step-grandchildren and on step great-grandchild.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary, in May, 1961.

Funeral services will be held Thursday at 2 p.m. from the Ryan Funeral Home, Nevada. Burial is to be in the Nevada Cemetery. The Story County Courthouse will be closed from 1 p.m. until after the time of services. The Ames tax office will be closed all afternoon Thursday.