Leonard Thomas “Len” Davis, age 84, passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by family on Tuesday, May 5, 2026. He was born on February 13, 1942, in Phillipsburg, NJ, to the late Leonard and Marion (Woodruff) Davis.
Len grew up in Hackettstown, New Jersey, and graduated from Hackettstown High School, class of 1960. He was drafted into the army in 1964, served in Vietnam, and was honorably discharged from the 615th Military Police Company in June of 1970. Len was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed spending time “up north” hunting and fishing. Some of his most cherished memories and (often repeated) stories revolved around deer camp at the cabin where his brothers-in-law, nephews, cousins, children, and grandchildren converged every November. Len was an artist who could carve a block of wood into a bird so vividly realistic you would swear it was going to get up and fly away. He also enjoyed painting with acrylic, watercolors, and oils on canvas. Len was a music lover, especially anything released in the 1950s, and (for some reason) The Christmas Song, belting out “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire…” from the car, the shower, or anywhere the acoustics seemed particularly favorable. Len waged a decades-long war against squirrels (red, grey, and flying) who he felt were overly gluttonous at his feeders and kept the songbirds from enjoying his offerings. Those close to him knew the real reason the squirrels sought him out was that they thought he was nuts.
Leonard is survived by his spouse, Nancy (Feest); children, Lori (Shane) Deschler, Nancy (Shawn) Miller, Karen (Joe) DeCristoforo, Kimberly (Daniel) Brown, Leonard Davis, and Samantha Davis; grandchildren Alexis Deschler, Aalyha (Zach) Beck, Addison Brown, Abigail Brown, Zachary Brown, Alivia Davis, Amelia Davis, Annabella Seaholm and Kennedy Seaholm; brother Vince (Donna) Davis; sisters-and brothers-in-law Kathy Davis, Barb (Earl) Vanderwielen, Pete (Carol) Feest, Albert (Dee) Feest, Ellen (Joe) Sinnott, Jean (Dan) Kalupa, Ron (Mary) Feest, and Rose (Al) Coulthart; many nieces and nephews; and his beloved dogs Ben (2) and Barney.
He was preceded in death by his parents; his siblings John Davis, Richard Davis, and Nancy Cope; sisters-in-law Rose Davis, Marvel Feest, and Marie “Josie” Feest; brothers-in-law Larry Cope, Mel Feest, Robert Feest, David Feest, and Terry Feest; and his daughter-in-law Jamie Davis.
The family thanks all of the wonderful doctors, nurses, and other medical staff who cared for Len over the years.
A visitation will be held at Draeger-Langendorf Funeral Home on Friday, May 8, 2026, from 2:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. A service will be held at 4:00 p.m. with military honors to follow. The family appreciates donations in Len’s honor to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at www.stjude.org/donate.
