World traveler, pilot, pinball wizard

Keith Charles “Casey” Davis, a Claremont resident, was killed on July 26, 2015 when his small aircraft crashed in Riverside. He was 52 years old.

He was born on July 30, 1962 and grew up in La Verne, graduating from Bonita High School in 1981. He earned a bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley and an MBA from the London School of Economics.

Mr. Davis lived and worked in Tokyo and met his wife Kumiko Shiga in Japan. He was fluent in Japanese and at the time of his death worked as a freelance translator of technical and financial manuals and reports for Morgan Stanley and others.

He had lived in Claremont for the past 10 years and had a passion for pinball machines, beginning at age 12, owning many vintage and late-model machines that he played, shared, repaired, bought, sold and enjoyed throughout his life. Another hobby was brewing batches of homemade beer, which Casey would serve at blowouts hosted in his “man cave,” a storage unit he had converted into a party space.

Mr. Davis traveled extensively and lived, worked, visited and trekked through more than 80 countries. Along with living in Claremont, he and his wife and daughter lived in Japan and Hawaii. He was a pilot and motorcyclist and enjoyed high-adrenaline activities.  Casey was meticulous, safety-minded and a perfectionist who, in all of his many years of school, maintained a perfect record of only As. He was funny, adventurous, brave, intelligent and cared deeply for the people closest to him.

He is survived by his wife Kumiko, daughter Maki, mother Yvonne Davis of Claremont and father C.B. “Bud” Davis of Nevada. He also leaves his sister Stephanie Davis, brother Kirk Davis and nieces Maya Davis and Asia Coffman, all of Claremont.

A service will be held Saturday, September 5 at 4 p.m. at the La Verne Church of the Brethren, located at 2425 E St. in La Verne.