Leo "Swede" Davis

November 27, 1923 - December 2, 2016

Leo “Swede” Davis Papillion, Nebraska formerly of Jefferson Date of Death: December 2, 2016 Funeral Services for Leo “Swede” Davis, 93 of Papillion, Nebraska formerly of Jefferson will be 10:00 am Thursday, December 8, 2016 at the First Baptist Church in Jefferson, Iowa. Interment will be at Jefferson Cemetery, Jefferson, Iowa. Visitation with the family present to greet friends will be 4:00 pm to 6:00 pm Wednesday, December 7, 2016 at Slininger-Schroeder Funeral Home in Jefferson. Swede (Leo) Davis was born to Claude and Mabel Davis on November 27, 1923 in Jefferson, Iowa. He was one of nine children. He was preceded in death by his parents, sisters Ione and Dorothy; brothers Lloyd, Don and Lyle; and his wife, Jean. He is survived by his daughter, Carol Bera and her husband Ruben; grandchildren Wendy (Wayne) Blackwell and Shawn Ruth; great grandchildren Hannah, Elizabeth, Annabeth, Jordan, Eli, Lucas and Cora; many nieces, nephews and friends. Swede grew up on the farm. He was born on in Greene County and began farming himself in 1946. On September 17, 1947 he married Jean (Calder). To this union their daughter, Carol, was born. The family belonged to the First Baptist Church in Jefferson. He loved to go fishing, hunting, and also mushroom hunting. Whenever he took Carol and Jean with him, he always had to pack Twinkies and Snowballs to help keep them quiet. Hunting trips meant that Carol would end up with pheasant tail feathers. Mushroom hunting meant yummy morel mushrooms cooked in butter. Swede would always offer more of his mushrooms to Carol, he was always generous like that. In his younger years, Swede liked to go to Farlin on occasion and play pinochle. He would sometimes take Carol with him and she loved getting all the attention and candy from Swede’s friends. Suddenly one day Jean decided that Carol could not go with him to play cards anymore…something to do with the language she might be hearing. Swede played on a baseball league in Farlin. Through the years he enjoyed rock hunting, polishing those rocks and making jewelry. He also was a pretty good bowler and played on a Jefferson Bowing League. Swede was a great grandfather. Wendy and Shaun remember having fun summers with Grandma and Grandpa on the farm. They went for several summers and had a great time. Sometimes they’d go to Spirit Lake in the fifth-wheel and do some fishing. In the winter they would get to snowmobile. We all had wonderful Christmases on the farm. Swede was just a good guy. He would do anything for any one and did so many times through the years. Swede retired in his early 60’s from farming and he and Jean moved to Jefferson. There, Dad took up serious woodworking and made some beautiful pieces. Many people in Jefferson have some of his work. He eventually gave that up as Jean’s health deteriorated and he, too, was getting tired. He lived the last several years in LaVista / Papillion area with Carol and Ruben and then broke his hip on Thanksgiving of 2015 and moved to Hillcrest Estates where be passed away on December 2, 2016 at the age of 93 years. Slininger-Schroeder Funeral Home 515-386-2171