Local efforts are underway to commemorate a beloved Second World War veteran and lifelong community volunteer, with calls to name a street, park or cenotaph promenade in his honour.
Charles Davis, a decorated veteran and long-time Riverside resident, passed away earlier this month. Friends and family say his legacy — both in service and in the community — deserves a permanent place in Windsor’s public spaces.
“Charlie was a great man,” said Doug Diet, a retired firefighter, former reservist and friend of Davis. “Not only did he risk his life for our country, he gave after that for years and years and years.”
Diet is hoping to start a broader community conversation on how best to honour Davis’ memory. Among the ideas being proposed is renaming the promenade at the Riverside cenotaph “Charlie Davis Way.” Diet said he sent a letter to Windsor mayor Drew Dilkens and councillor Joanne Gignac seeking support.
“We want to get the conversation started on how to honour Charlie,” Diet said. “Our city has got roads, it’s got parks, and all those are just things that we hear about, but what glues it all together is the people in our community, the volunteers — and Charlie was one of those guys.”
Davis, a past president and life member of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 255, lived just a few streets from the Riverside cenotaph for more than 76 years.
His daughter, Terri Davis-Fitzpatrick, said he remained committed to honouring fallen soldiers long after his military service ended — often laying wreaths at the cenotaph with his grandson, Ryerson Fitzpatrick, who serves in the Canadian Armed Forces.
“I’m very appreciative and grateful,” Davis-Fitzpatrick said of the tribute proposal. “Doug had presented it to me last week at my dad’s wake at the Riverside Branch. I think it would be very fitting because he, I believe, is one of the last Second World War veterans who was a president. He lived in Riverside all his life.”
Davis-Fitzpatrick recalls accompanying her father to cenotaph ceremonies as a young girl, memories that now carry deeper meaning.
“He laid wreaths at this cenotaph years ago when it was the old one where the Riverside Arena used to be,” she said. “I remember that when I was ten years old. You didn’t think anything of it back then. Now I think it’s more fitting and poignant — and it’s a good spot where people can see it from Wyandotte.”
Davis-Fitzpatrick said the last couple weeks have felt like a blur as she deals with arrangements and tributes. She hasn’t had time to fully grieve, but knows the emotion will come.
“My father was a very humble man,” she said. “He didn’t like to be out there, but he liked to teach the younger generation to learn of the sacrifices — not only the ones he made, but all of our veterans.”
She believes a public honour would have deeply touched him.
“I know he would be very humbled. He would shed some tears. He wouldn’t expect it.”
As the community mourns one of its last living links to the Second World War, Davis-Fitzpatrick hopes her father’s story continues to inspire.
“Hold close to your loved ones and take time with them,” she said. “Other things will always come and go. But take time for your loved ones.”
