BARTLETT — L. LaMar Davis, 81, of rural Bartlett died at 7:12 p.m. Saturday, April 16, 2011, at Labette Health in Parsons.

He was born on Dec. 27, 1929, to Lowell M. and Ruth F. Davis of rural Bartlett. LaMar, as he was always known, attended grade school at Lockard District No. 28 from the fall of 1935 until December 1942. In December 1942, LaMar moved to Kansas City, Mo., to spend time with his father, who was working for the U.S. government as part of the war effort. While in Kansas City, LaMar attended Manual High School, graduating with honors in the Army ROTC program in the spring 1946. During the fall and spring of 1946-1947, LaMar attended Kansas City, Mo., Junior College with a primary focus on electrical engineering.

In the summer 1947, LaMar moved back to help with the family farm (established in rural Bartlett in 1871) and attended Parsons Kansas Junior College. It was during this time that LaMar met his future wife, Lorraine L. Seibert. In 1948, LaMar attended the University of Kansas at Lawrence, where he was a member of Kappa-Sigma fraternity. He later transferred to Baker University. He attended Baker until the summer 1950, when he returned to Bartlett to help with the family farm.

He married Lorraine L. Seibert on Jan. 24, 1951, in Topeka before the Honorable Glenn D. Cogswell.

LaMar and Lorraine have always farmed and ranched in rural Bartlett. In the early 1950s LaMar and Lorraine owned and operated Davis Feed and Produce in Altamont. From 1960-1961, LaMar worked as a supervisor for the U.S. Census Bureau at Parsons. In 1966, LaMar was elected to the Board of Trustees for Labette Community College where he was re-elected for five consecutive terms serving a total of 18 years before retiring in 1984. In 1964, LaMar and Dick Combs started Dav-Com Two Way Radio, which later reverted to LaMar only, and serviced and sold communications equipment from 1964 to 1988. This business was known by many around the four-state area and catered to both private individuals and commercial/government interests.

LaMar had many lifelong interests. In 1952, LaMar was elected to the Democratic Party’s committeeman post and served until 2000, always remaining active in both state and local politics. LaMar was very active in Labette County and served as a special deputy with Labette County Sheriff’s Office from 1952 to 1977, and Labette County Civil Defense/Emergency Management from 1951 to 2010. LaMar also helped form, and later was a member of, the Hackberry Township Fire Department in Bartlett. LaMar campaigned and worked actively toward the establishment of Labette County Medical Center. He frequently helped with other organizations, such as the American Red Cross. LaMar was one of the founding members of Heart of the Heartland Railway and historical preservation group. Other lifelong interests included membership in the American Numismatic Association with his wife Lorraine. LaMar had a lifelong passion for hunting, fishing and the outdoors that he passed on to his children and grandchildren. He was an avid believer in wildlife conservation and he actively participated in restocking programs and also participated in various conservation and wildlife protection efforts. LaMar was always a proud member of the NRA and strongly supported individual freedoms and the beliefs of our great country and Constitution.

Survivors include his wife, Lorraine Davis, of the home; three sons, Larry Davis and his wife, Patricia, of rural Bartlett, Lyndon Davis and his wife, Susie, of Overland Park and Leighton Davis and his wife, Denise, of rural Bartlett; and nine grandchildren.

The service will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Carson-Wall Funeral Home. Burial will be in Lake Creek Cemetery near Bartlett. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday.

The family requests that memorials be made to the Hackberry Township Fire Department. They may be left at or sent to the funeral home, P.O. Box 942, Parsons, 67357 or left at any Labette Bank location.