PAUL VERDAN DAVIED



Paul Verdan Davied, 91, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, died on May 9, 2020. The second of nine children, Paul was born on September 24, 1928, in Walnut, Kansas, to Andrew Lawrence Davied and Mary Ellen Ryan Davied. The Davied family resided in rural Southeastern Kansas in the Walnut/Brazelton/Greenbush area. As a child and young adult, Paul assisted the family and relatives with farming activities, where Sunday gatherings, church, picnics, ball games, hand churned ice cream, and helping your neighbors was the norm. He enjoyed the outdoors, and became proficient at hunting and fishing, which provided the opportunity of cashing in on the value of pelts and nuisance animals. He credits the early years, as well as his close family farming origins, with developing his lifelong pursuit of being eager to learn new skills and his ability to repair nearly everything, except engines, which he acknowledges were the tightly held domain of his older brother, Bill.
Paul joined the Army in 1951 and served two years at Camp Carson, Colorado, during the time of the Korean War. He continued his Army affiliation by joining the Army Reserve and received his Honorable Discharge in 1957.
In 1953, he returned to Kansas where he again helped with family farming, worked various jobs, developed new skills, and met his future wife, Mary Rita Vitt, of Walnut, Kansas. Paul and Mary Rita were married in 1955 and subsequently moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, to begin their married life, pursue careers, and to start their family. Paul and Mary Rita never severed their Kansas roots or family ties, and were frequent return visitors to their Walnut, Greenbush, and Girard family and friends.
In Tulsa, Paul obtained his electrician's license, and became a co-owner of Hiram Electric Company until his retirement. Even as a co-owner, he never abandoned his tool belt and would frequently tackle the most challenging electrical tasks himself.
In the business world, Paul made customers for life. In addition to providing long lasting, quality, and functioning electrical services and solutions at a fair price, he earned his reputation of being hard working, honest and fair. His quest for excellence was internally driven, very likely shaped and formed by his Kansas farming roots and early family values instilled by his parents, Andrew and Mary. Paul never sought the spotlight or commanded attention; rather, he gained the respect and trust of others by his consistently demonstrated work ethic and never being satisfied until a job was done right. He took his work and obligations seriously, was in control of his emotions, and rarely spoke a negative word towards anyone,
Paul was a loyal, dedicated and loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather and he especially enjoyed being surrounded by family. Family was critically important to Paul throughout his life, and he repeatedly continued to improve the lives of those around him. His business success provided for a modest lifestyle, as well as facilitating college educations for his children.
Faith and the Catholic Church was a significant part of his life. He devoutly said his prayers before every meal and before going to bed every evening. As a member of St. Pius X Catholic Church, he volunteered as an usher, various hospitality duties, and special functions.
Following his retirement, Paul worked for several years in various roles at local election polling precincts. He was an avid fan of The University of Tulsa Golden Hurricane basketball and football, as well as The University of Oklahoma Sooners football and Oklahoma Thunder basketball. Gardening, traveling, dancing, outdoor games, fishing, boating, and attending local sporting events were activities he enjoyed. His quest for finding and collecting wild blackberries, mushrooms, pecans, and walnuts were legendary, even though he arguably violated child labor laws and exposure to heat, ticks, chiggers, mosquitoes, snakes, and poison ivy in his pursuit (his baskets were always the fullest). Every conversation started with a comparison of rainfall, whether he received more or less than the official registered amount, and how his garden was doing. He frequently attended local farm and tractor shows, which always led to comparisons of what his family had when he was growing up. Paul loved marathon family card games of Pitch and could recall hands and replay games for days, especially when he won (which occurred with frequency). He spent countless hours and days tossing washers on his home built custom boards. Paul especially loved supporting and participating in his grandchildren's activities and was extremely proud of their successes. He continued and further honed his grandfatherly ways when he was blessed with the arrival of great grandchildren. "Grampy", "Paco", "Papa", and "Grandpa" never grew tired of bouncing, holding, hugging, and teasing new Davied descendants, especially with his grandchildren. He delighted in rewarding his grandchildren and great grandchildren with candies and treats (some might categorize as bribes for preferential affection), and his giggle outbursts and ear to ear smiles were frequent and infectious. He also continued to help his own children, including their families, by being the first to volunteer for any task and project, and up until the last few years being the last to tire and the last to take a break. Paul was family famous for being able to repair anything and creatively repurpose his lifetime boneyard collection of cast aside parts and pieces into new treasures and functionality. Suspected to have been engrained from his farming origins, family values, and humble beginnings, Paul couldn't bring himself to throw away something that might just have an unknown future purpose - making something out of nothing. If you wanted to challenge the old man, then you better come well prepared with your facts, as he could rarely be bested when it came to who had the better command of dates, facts, and figures. Fox News and Hannity are likely suffering from the loss of one of their most dedicated fans, possibly surpassing anyone living in the Washington, DC, area. He looked forward to his daily newspaper, was disappointed if he ever missed it, but then consistently complained that there wasn't ever anything in it worth reading. In Heaven, Paul will be a regular attendee at the big screen showings of Gunsmoke, Bonanza, The Rifleman, Andy Griffin, and all western movies. He served as the unofficial family taste tester at family dinners, with special skills honed towards experimental barbeque and smoking trials, fish frys, and lemon bars.
However, Paul was not a saint. If report cards were issued late in life, Paul would have received failing grades and significant negative remarks for his disregard of his children's requests to stop climbing in trees, working at precarious heights on legacy ladders, and his insistence to hang christmas lights from the tallest peaks of his house (because his wife and grandchildren liked to see the lights and he didn't want to see them disappointed). When he was 80, during one of his many cruises, he could not resist the opportunity to climb the rock wall and ring the bell at the top. Taking it easy and not doing his majority share was never his nature.
Paul leaves behind his bride, Mary Rita, of 65 years, his four children, Larry Davied and his wife, Vanessa, of Tulsa, Oklahoma; Roberta Montgomery and her husband, Tom, of Tulsa, Oklahoma; Charlotte Marcoux and her husband, Robert, of Tulsa, Oklahoma; and Michael Davied and his wife, Holly, of Arlington, Texas; eleven grandchildren: Lauren, Renee, Alex, Travis, Clint, Grant, Brent, Kristianna, Lily, Beck, and Quin; four great-grandchildren: ZoeJane, Dylan, Stella, and Kirksey; his sister, Mary Ann Lepoglow of Girard,Kansas, and brother, Robert Davied of Pittsburg, Kansas, and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, William Davied and James Davied; two sisters, Betty Madl and Rita Ross; infant twin sisters, Barbara Jean and Agnes Marie; and granddaughter, Caitlin Marcoux.
A family rosary service will be held at Saint Pius X Catholic Church on Friday, May 22nd in Tulsa, Oklahoma. A family service is being planned on Saturday, May 23rd at the Parish of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux in Tulsa.
Paul was a blessing to all who knew him and is dearly missed. He left his marks, instilled his work ethics and values, and positively influenced family and friends who were blessed with the good fortune to know him. Paul was truly one of the "good guys", and he enriched those around him. We pray for his eternal peace.