Fredric Carlton Davis

We remember the life of Frederic Carlton Davis who passed away in July of 2024 at the age of 88. To his family he was a father, grandfather, husband, uncle and brother. And for the majority of our memories, he was a big man who had the biggest smile. 

To his family he went by Carl. Born on April 24th, 1936 in Memphis, Tennessee, the second son of Floyd and Beatrice Davis. Shortly after his birth, he moved with his parents and older brother Floyd Jr to Detroit, Michigan where his younger siblings, Doris and Earl, were born. Carl grew up in the iconic era of 1950's Detroit, witnessing the birth of Motown music along the way. He developed a passion for photography and collecting jazz saxophone and Motown music, and this lasted the rest of his life. Not coming from wealthy roots, he was a hard working young man with a strong work ethic instilled in him by his father. 

He managed to see some of the world at a young age, having served a stint in the US Army, a portion of which was in Japan. It was during this time that his parents and siblings made their way to Los Angeles. After Carl was honorably discharged from the Army, he made his way to Los Angeles as well. Carl saw out the 60's and saw in the 70's in LA, with his new wife Helen and young son Freddy, as well as the rest of his family growing around him. For a good few years, he worked in the LA County Sheriff's Department. It was here that Carl was made immortal to a certain degree. He guarded Sirhan Sirhan, the man who assassinated Bobby Kennedy. To this day, whenever Sirhan Sirhan is profiled on the news, they always show a video clip of him entering a courtroom, and you can see Carl walking right behind him, larger than life. He followed up his time in law enforcement with a spell as Investigator 28 in the LA County Public Defenders Office. His work served him well as he was able to accumulate a few properties along the way. Yet despite his career in law enforcement and hard work ethic, he knew how to have fun. He loved riding motorcycles and was always a snappy dresser.

Unfortunately, Carl and Helen lost their son Freddy in '85, which obviously hit him hard. And in the 90's Carl and Helen moved back to Atlanta where Helen had family. We didn't see much of Carl for a good few years, but he mainly kept in touch with his brother Earl. Helen passed away in 2011 and a few years later in 2015, Carl came to live in Sacramento. He settled in and made new friends and got to spend a lot more time with his brother Earl at family events, for early morning walks and getting together to watch boxing matches, a shared passion since their youth.

Carl was a lot older by this time. But he still had that Carl smile. We missed him when he was away, but were very happy he made his way back. Carl lived a long and full life, he traveled, he touched hearts, and if you take a look at this painting he had for decades, this is how we remember him and it sums up who he was. A big fella with a big smile and light in his eyes. Fredric Carlton Davis will have his ashes interred at the Los Angeles National Cemetery on October 21, 2024. We will all miss him.