Leonard Noel Davis, 89, of Mt. Vernon died at 4:30 a.m. Friday, Jan. 5, 2007, at Missouri Baptist Hospital in St. Louis.

He was born June 9, 1920, in Mt. Vernon, son to Thomas Leonard Davis and Lucy Leona (Goddard) Davis.

On June 1, 1947, he married Freda Burns in Mt. Vernon, and she survives.

Mr. Davis attended Field Grade School and Mt. Vernon Township High School. He also graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelor of science degree in architectural engineering.

He worked at Mt. Vernon car Shops for two years in the early 1940s and served in the U.S. Navy for two years during World War II. Mr. Davis worked for Wilson and McCoy Architectural Firm early on and later opened his own private practice, which ran from 1957 to 2004.

He was a member of American Institute of Architects and designed many churches and schools throughout Illinois. He taught night classes at Rend Lake College and Southeastern Junior College in the mid-1970s. He also taught architecture at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale for 11 years in the School of Technical Careers from 1979 to 1990.

He was a member of the Logan Street Baptist Church for 77 years and twice served as interim music director.

He enjoyed playing the guitar and the French horn. In recent years, he worked as a consultant for P.E. Cross. He also designed and built set scenery and wrote music for the King City Theater Company. He was also very interested in genealogy.

Services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Logan Street Baptist Church in Mt. Vernon with the Rev. Mike Steed officiating. Interment location has yet to be disclosed. Visitation will occur from 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday at Hughey Funeral Home in Mt. Vernon.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Davis is survived by three sons, Robert Davis and Rod Davis, both of Mt. Vernon, and Roger Davis and wife Judith of Campbellsville, Ky.; two daughters, Michelle Parks and husband Shawn and Teresa Davis-Brown and husband Jim Davis, both of Mt. Vernon; three sisters, Faye Reynolds of Mt. Vernon, Betty Arnold and husband Clyde of Carbondale and Norma Lee Huffstutler and husband Murvel of Cary; and grandchildren Eden and Elise Davis of Louisville, Ky., and Bythe Lee, Bethaney Brown and Joshua Parks, all of Mt. Vernon.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Wilma Ruth Jenkins Highsmith.

Memorials may be given to the Logan Street Baptist Church and will be accepted at the funeral home.

Source: Mt. Vernon Register-News
Date: January 6, 2007
Submitted by Robert W. Loman