Two and a half weeks ago, when 103-year-old World War II veteran James Russell Davis Sr., of Butler, was told he only had a short time left to live, his family could not hold back their tears. Davis, meanwhile, took the news in stride.

“The day that he got his diagnosis of end-stage cancer, my brother and sister were so upset,” said Carla Hunt, one of Davis’ three daughters. “The doctor walked out of the room, and they brought in his lunch on a tray. Well, who's going to eat lunch after hearing that?”

“And he dug into the lunch. He ate every bite of it, and he was singing while he ate.”

It fit in perfectly with Davis’ favorite quote: “Just don't get excited.”

“No matter what life threw at him, he would accept it and he would just move on,” Hunt said. “He was very pragmatic.”

Davis passed away on Friday, Sept. 1, in the company of his family, in the same Center Township house that he built in the 1950s.

“He built that house with his own two hands after the war, and he wanted to die in that house,” Hunt said. “And we are all just so glad that he was able to get that wish.”

Shortly after he graduated from Cabot-Winfield Consolidated High School in 1938, he spent a year working at the former mushroom mine in Fenelton and then attained a job at Armco.

But when the Japanese invaded Pearl Harbor in December 1941, triggering the United States’ involvement in World War II, Davis was among the first to answer the call to serve. He was on a hunting trip with a friend when they heard the news of what then-President Franklin D. Roosevelt called a “day that will live in infamy.”

“They stopped in at a tavern to get something to eat,” Hunt said. “And they said, ‘What’s everyone all crowded around the radio for? What happened?’ And they were talking about Pearl Harbor being bombed, and they were all going, ‘Where's Pearl Harbor? What are they talking about?’”

Davis spent his time in the war at RAF Bury St. Edmunds in England as part of the 8th Air Force, 94th Bomb Group. He worked as a propeller specialist on the B-17 Flying Fortress, helping to fix up planes that sometimes came to the air base (now known as Rougham Airfield) in terrible shape.

His daughter, Paula Grubbs of Penn Township, recalled her dad’s favorite story from his days in the Air Corps.

“One time, a plane came in and landed, and the whole plane was shot up,” Grubbs said. “None of the guys there could believe that that pilot was able to land that plane, because it was just shot to pieces.”

The air base commander rushed out onto the tarmac as the shaken pilot stumbled from the plane and attempted the best salute he could.

“Dad said the commander said ‘Son, after that landing, I should be saluting you,’” Grubbs said. “He always got a tear in his eye when he told that story because of his pride in that Allied pilot’s skills. Dad said ‘You could have dropped a washtub through a hole in one of the wings.’”

Once the war ended, Davis settled right into his old job at Armco Steel. He also used the G.I. Bill for tuition at the Connelley Trade School in Pittsburgh, where he earned his electrician’s certification.

In 1947, he married Maxine Schaffner, who was a widow as a result of the war. Davis, who grew up in Cabot as a Protestant, went as far as converting to his fiance’s religion of Catholicism.

“My mother came from a big Catholic family,” said Grubbs. “He was Protestant, but he was very proud to convert to the Catholic Church. And he was a very dedicated Catholic.”

During his downtime, Davis had numerous opportunities to keep himself busy, many of which involved sports in some way. These included being one of the charter members of the former Armco Golf Club, as well as serving as the first umpire for Center Township Little League when it was formed decades ago.

He could be seen bent behind home plate at Little League and Pony League games for decades.

“I remember many summer afternoons and evenings going to local ballparks watching him umpire,” Grubbs said. “When he yelled ‘Strike three!’ at the top of his lungs, no players argued with him.”

Davis kept up his zest for life in his last days, even playing a round of golf last year with his family at the age of 102.

Those from the American Legion who knew him during the twilight of his life looked back on him fondly.

“He was quiet when he came in, but he spoke about his family,” said Kay English, steward at Post 778’s bar. “He and his family played pool Thursday night.”

His family also remembers him as a man who got the most out of life.

“My dad was just game for everything. He just said ‘yes’ to life,” Hunt said. “If anyone asks, 'Do you want to go do this? Do you want to go do that?’ He’d just say yes, every single time.”

A memorial service was held Thursday morning at St. Andrew Roman Catholic Church in Butler.

Eagle staff writer Paula Grubbs contributed to this report.