Col. Carl G. Davaz (USA, Ret.)

July 16, 1930 – Feb. 17, 2012

Carl G. Davaz of Bellevue, Wash., died Feb. 17 at Bozeman Deaconess Hospital in Bozeman, Mont., of respiratory and cancer-related causes associated with exposure to the defoliant Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. He was 81.He was born July 16, 1930, in Newport, Wash., to Carl and Marguerite Davaz. He married Mildred Marie Zawadsky on April 20, 1952, in Abingdon, Md.He graduated from Newport High School in 1948 and enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1951, after graduating from Officer Candidate School at Fort Riley, Kan., and advanced to become a colonel in the Ordnance Corps. He served tours of duty in Austria, Maryland, Japan, Alaska, Colorado, Taiwan, Kansas, Vietnam and Germany. Davaz earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alaska in 1963; graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College at Ft. Leavenworth, Kan., in 1967; earned a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Missouri-Kansas City in 1970; and graduated from the U.S. Army War College at Carlisle Barracks, Penn., in 1973 .His military decorations included the Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, Meritorious Unit Citation, Bronze Star medal, Joint Service Commendation medal, Army Commendation medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Vietnam Service Medal with four Bronze Service Stars, Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Palm for combat service, Vietnam Campaign medal with 60 Device, Meritorious Service medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Occupation medal (Germany), National Defense Service medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, United Nations Service medal, Korean Service medal and the Armed Forces Reserve medal.After his retirement from the Army in 1976, he pursued doctoral studies in business administration at the University of Washington, held a position as Director of Management Development at Boeing Computer Services and took on the challenges of a woodworking business he founded and operated during the 1980’s.Survivors include his wife; five sons and daughters-in-law, Carl G. Jr. and Kim of Eugene, Ore.; Nicholas and Roxann of Santa Barbara, Calif.; Leslie and Socorro of Charlotte, N.C.; Dennis and Karen of Livingston, Mont.; Douglas and Sandra of Chandler, Ariz.; eight grandchildren, Elsa, Reed, Melissa, Lilly, Stephanie, Vanessa, Natalie, Lukas and Nicholas; three great-grandchildren, Olivia, Eliot and Rylee; a brother, Fred of Newport, Wash.; two sisters, Irene Hotchkiss of Aguanga, Calif.; Kathy Ott of Troy, ID.Visitation and vigil will be from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m., Friday, March 2 at Flintoft’s Funeral Home in Issaquah, Wash. A funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, March 3, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Issaquah, Wash. Burial will be at 11:15 a.m., on Monday, March 5, at the Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Wash. Arrangements by Dahl Funeral Chapel in Bozeman, Mont. Remembrances to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. See more information at www.davazfamily.com.