AUGUSTA – Wayne Ray Davis, 79, died peacefully at Glenridge Long Term Care Center in Augusta on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022, after living well with Lewy body dementia for five years.

Warm and welcoming, Wayne had a smile that could light up a room. He was open to trying out almost anything at least once, and he was always up for an adventure, particularly when it involved connecting with others in a meaningful way. He was deeply interested in travel and culture, and in the qualities that make each person unique.

Wayne was born in San Francisco, Calif., on Jan. 29, 1943, to Edna Barstow Davis and Clarence Head Davis. He and his twin sister, Layne Rae Kershner were known as “super twins,” or twins who were conceived separately, but carried together by their mother. The twins had two loving and protective older sisters, Letha Rae White and Dixie Loreen Barton Orzell.

Two early influences set the direction of Wayne’s life. First, he fell in love with marine life as a teenager visiting the Steinhart Marine Aquarium, and second, his high school English teacher, Mrs. Alice Rydeen, with her stubbornly consistent demands and unwavering encouragement, set him on a path to graduate despite his significant hearing impairment.

Wayne’s educational career progressed through almost every level of marine science achievement. He earned an associate degree in engineering, a Bachelor of Science in Zoology, a Master of Science in Invertebrate Biology, a doctorate in marine ecology, and a post doctorate in fluid mechanics. He worked for 31 years at Environmental Protection Agency laboratories in Rhode Island and South Carolina. His early work was truly unique: determining the EPA’s national standards for dissolved oxygen levels in marine estuaries. A decade later, the EPA was aggressively trying to understand what was happening at contaminated dump sites across the country. His focus by then was on toxicology and pathology, which he felt did not adequately honor the marine creatures he viewed as his friends.

After a moment of clarity, Wayne shifted his focus from researching “the effect of pollution on marine life” to “the effect of marine life on pollution.” While studying the polychaete worms that feed on sediment in the oil-contaminated New Bedford Harbor, he became known to his colleagues as “Dr. Mud,” and, for the first time in a controlled research environment, he was able to demonstrate biological remediation of hazardous contaminants. He published more than 30 articles over his career, taught countless undergrad- and graduate-level courses, became the EPA’s US-China research liaison, and was the co-inventor of the particle entrainment simulator, a machine that produced and measured erosional forces at ocean dumping sites around the world.

Alongside his role as a scientist, Wayne was a firefighter and a soccer referee throughout much of his life. He joined the Arcade Fire Department in Sacramento, Calif. in 1962, and he supported the Jamestown Fire Department in Rhode Island with his specialized SCUBA-rescue skill set. He had a passion for guiding and supporting the game of soccer, and he trained to be a referee in the mid-1980s. He officiated high school, college, and semi-professional games for 17 years, and retired as both a FIFA Class I State Referee and as an Assessor.

Wayne was lucky enough to realize two great loves in his life, with Barbara Baird Davis, and, nearly 30 years later, with Christine Merchant.

In 1971, Wayne was married to Barbara in a small ceremony in Tallmadge, Ohio. By 1979 he was father to three daughters, Shana Barnes and twins Lara Davis and Sara Riley. With them he shared his great passions for science, the ocean, volleyball, and international travel.

Wayne met Christine in 2001 at a Landmark Worldwide course in Boston and she invited him to Maine for a hike. Their first date began a remarkable relationship filled with new possibilities for them both. They married one year later in Farmington at a festive community event. He became family to Christine’s teenage children, Anahita Pajuhesh and Kian Merchant-Borna, and together, their five kids merged into a caring and supportive collective, adding spouses and beloved grandchildren over the years.

After retiring at the age of 60, Wayne needed a new project. He stumbled upon a For Sale sign next to a big building on Lake Minnehonk in Mt. Vernon. “Ray’s Garage” was a beat-up building from 1923 that had been sitting empty for years. With a waterfall feeding a lake on the property, it was exactly what he was looking for, a blank canvas for his creativity and a place on the water where Christine could swim. He didn’t realize it at the time, but this project gave him joy, purpose, and a newfound community.

Over several years, the old garage was transformed into a home and guesthouse, The Lakeside Loft, in 2006. It became a “lure for family and friends,” a magical spot for visitors to the area, and a significant contribution towards the revitalization of the village of Mt. Vernon.

Wayne’s diagnosis of Lewy body dementia in 2017 created an urgency to document his life experiences to share with those around him. Ever a storyteller, he began capturing memories and went on to publish an article—“In Search of Life-defining Moments”— in the May 2019 issue of The Journal of the 2019 Conference for Global Transformation.

Wayne Davis was a marine biologist, educator, firefighter, soccer referee, business owner, cat-lover, mentor, and loving husband, father, and grandfather. He was happiest when experimenting with ways to solve marine pollution problems, renovating a space that others had given up on, or thinking about how and why the world worked as it did. Above all else, he was passionate about engaging others in life-altering conversations and impacting their futures for the better.

Wayne is survived by his wife, Christine and her children Anahita (Te Ruwai) and Kian (Rachel); his first wife, Barbara and their children Shana (Andrew), Lara, and Sara (Martin); grandchildren Sam, Jehaan, Emerson, Mani, James, Kaelyn, and Lucy; his dear sisters Letha, Dixie, and Layne; and many special friends and neighbors. He will be greatly missed by all those who had the chance to know him!

A celebration of life (with virtual capability) will be held at the Mt. Vernon Community Center on Nov. 5 at 1 p.m., followed by an open house until 3 p.m.. Interment will take place in the summer of 2023 at Mountain View Cemetery in Weld. Memories may be shared in his Book of Memories at http://www.wilesrc.com. Cremation care has been provided by the Wiles Remembrance Center of Farmington.

Those wishing to make a contribution in Wayne’s memory may consider one of the following organizations:

The Hunger Project,

Lewy Body Dementia Association,

Mt. Vernon Community Partnership Committee,

Greater Minnehonk Lake Association,

and Dr. Shaw Memorial Library.



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