Melvin Arthur Davis
Melvin Arthur Davis, 78, of Bagley, Minnesota passed away on Tuesday, October 6, 2026 at the Sanford Medical Center in Fargo, North Dakota.
Memorial services will be held on Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at the Faith Lutheran Church in Bagley, Minnesota with a visitation one hour prior. A gathering of family and friends will be held the evening prior at the church, Wednesday, October 14, 2026, from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. Interment will be held at 1:30 p.m. at the Nora Township Cemetery in Bagley, Minnesota following a meal at the church. The Cease Family Funeral Home of Bagley assisted the family with arrangements.
Melvin Arthur Davis was born to Donald and Ruth Davis of Beaulieu, Minnesota on April 30, 1948. He left school after the eighth grade when his family sold the farm and moved to Fosston. Mel began working for other relatives on a dairy farm at that time. Over the years he held numerous jobs, including building grain elevators in the Dakotas, sawmill work in Bagley, logging with horses, farming for himself and others. Most recently, he spent the last twenty years with Team Industries in Bagley where he retired in 2018.
Mel married Dianne Pederson on October 24, 1970. They had a daughter, Jody on July 24, 1971. He married Paula Lerum of Austin, Minnesota on June 27, 1980. They had a son Thomas born November 14, 1985.
Over the years, Mel enjoyed driving and riding horses, animals of all kinds, and deer hunting. He was a talented leather worker and made belts, billfolds, and bridles for friends and relatives. He loved to make venison jerky and shared it with everyone. Since retirement Mel spent his days caring for the yard and flowers, feeding the birds and deer, and any other animals that came out of the woods surrounding their home. He drove around the neighborhood almost daily checking the livestock and looking for wildlife. He especially liked to visit with friends and family. Mel never had a bucket list… he didn’t need one. Mel was completely content with the life he had.
Mel is survived by his wife, Paula; children, Jody (Dale) Bellefy and Tom (Sarah Robertson) Davis; grandchildren, Dustyn (Kristin) Bellefy, Emily (Jake) Coombs, Megan (Tony) Doubek, and Donald, Wyatt, James and Spencer Robertson; great-grandchildren, Cierra and Wyatt Bellefy, Tucker, Walter and Cooper Coombs, Everett, Emilia, and Sophia Doubek.
Mel is preceded in death by his parents, Don and Ruth; brothers, Richard, Luis, Robert, and Dale; sisters, Joan Haley, Irene Ames, and Maryon Miller.
Messages of condolence may be sent to ceasefuneralhome.com