Duane Richard Davis, Sr.
Duane Richard Davis, Sr, 74 years old, passed away February 9, 2025, at his home after a four-year battle with colon cancer.
He was born April 18, 1950, in Emporia, KS. to Charlie and Lucille (Tapprich) Davis. Upon passing he was a member of Gracepoint Church in Peabody, KS. Duane spent 23 ½ years combined service in the U.S. Army and National Guard, before retiring in 1991 as a Sergeant First Class. He also spent 15 years in law enforcement, working for the Council Grove Police Department, Morris County Sheriff’s Office, and the Peabody Police Department.
Duane married Shirley Kasper on May 2, 1998, in Peabody, where they lived together until his passing. He enjoyed spending time with his wife, kids, grandkids, great grandkids, siblings, and a host of friends. You could find him enjoying many of these visits at Pop’s Diner in Peabody. Duane knew no stranger and was a friend to many. If you had the honor or privilege of meeting him, you knew he was a special friend to many, a wonderful son, husband, dad, brother, grandpa, great grandpa, and uncle. To those closest to him, he was our hero. Duane was an avid fan of football. Anytime you visited him, he would be watching football, whether it be live or a dreaded replay of a 5 year old game.
He was a diehard fan of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Georgia Bulldogs. He was so looking forward to seeing the Chiefs win another Super Bowl, however, he was called home just a few hours before kickoff. His family gathered to watch the big game in his honor and to share memories, as he was watching from the best seats of all- box seats in Heaven. He had special friends who reached out to him often and offered Committee, said in an interview that he wasn’t sure it was time yet for the state to act in this area.
“The hesitation I have is a lot of times when you talk about being a small, limited government conservative, the word ‘ban’ kind of scared me a little bit,” he said.
Thomas said he hoped that by holding a hearing it might send the message to local school boards that the Legislature is taking the issue seriously.
“We would rather see the local boards take action,” he said. “We need to make sure when we do something like this, we’re very careful.”
The bill was opposed by the State Department of Education, the Kansas Association of School Boards, the Kansas National Education Association and the Kansas PTA.
While the state Board of Education didn’t take a position on cell phones, it believes that it’s a decision best left to local school boards.
“Some local boards have already put such policies in place, and we believe the Legislature has no authority to override those policies,” Board members Ann Mah and Deena Horst said in written testimony to the Education Committee.
“The use of electronic communication devices in schools is something that is not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ issue and does not have a ‘one-size-fitsall” answer,” they said.
“Such things are best left to those closest to the issue.”
Shannon Kimball, government relations specialist for the Kansas Association of School Boards, said she generally agreed as a parent with the concerns raised about cell phones.
However, she said the policy decisions should be local school board decisions.
“Decisions about what kind of electronic devices are allowed in classrooms or whether to allow them and under what parameters are exactly the kind of policy decisions that local boards of education are tasked to do by their voters,” Kimball said.’
“These are judgments of community values, community needs, resources and infrastructure and local boards are best equipped to work with their teachers, their families and their district leadership to make these decisions.”
their love and friendship. A few of those special ones are Pastor Rick Rehmert, Gilbert Loewen, Steve Morse, and Colton Gossen.
Duane is survived by his wife Shirley Davis of Peabody; daughters Karen ( Larry) Larsen of Peabody, Kim (Darin) Sample of Alta Vista, and Terri (Brad) Evans of Brighton, MI; sons Duane R. (Kathleen) Davis, Jr of Statesboro, GA, and Travis (Misti) Davis of Holton; grandchildren Lucas (Alanis) Kiefer, Brianna (Triston), Tyson (Katie), Austin, Todd (Breanna), Katelyn (Christian), Rebekah, Lexi (Colton), TJ. Eryn, Matt, Wyatt, Elizabeth, Anthony and Xavier; great grandchildren Kaydan, Nevaeh, Kamden, Adalynne, Logyn, Rhett, Holden, Carsyn and Ellie; siblings Wanda (Jerry) LeMay, Terry (Karen) Davis, Becky ( Brian) Chase, all of Council Grove, Laverne Hawkins of Emporia, brother in law Jack (Martha) Kasper of Newton and many nieces and nephews.
Duane was preceded in death by his parents, sisters Brenda Kay Davis, Arlene White, Mayetta Warneke, Naomi Clopton, and Betty Helton; brothers Jim Davis, Charlie Davis, and Art Davis; grandson Elijah, mother-in-law, and father-in-law Adena and Paul Kasper, sister-in-law Beverly Keyser and brother in laws Pat Brannon and Andy Helton.
Visitation will be held at Gracepoint Church (802 Vine St. Peabody) on Saturday February 15, 2025, from 10 until 12 p.m. Duane’s family requests casual dress. Memorial contributions may be made to Gracepoint Church in care of Pastor Rick Rehmert. A private family burial will take place in the spring at Sunnyslope Cemetery, Council Grove. Please sign his online guestbook and leave a memory of Duane at www. yazelmeglifh.com. Lunch will be served after the visitation for all.