John G. Davis, liquor salesman, Ravens fan

John G. Davis, a retired wholesale liquor salesman who loved to dance, died July 5 in his sleep at his home in the Charlestown retirement community in Catonsville.

The former Columbia resident was 88.

John George Izdebski, who later legally changed his surname to Davis, was born in Baltimore, the son of John Izdebski, a longshoreman, and Julia Gawrys Izdebski, a homemaker.

He was raised on Milton Avenue and, as a teenager, worked as a huckster on an arabber’s horse-drawn produce wagon, family members said.

In 1946, he graduated from Mount Saint Joseph High School, then served a year as an Air Force radio operator.

Mr. Davis joined the Kronheim Co. in 1950 as a wholesale liquor salesman. He called on hotels, restaurants and package goods stores. He retired in 1990.

In retirement, he volunteered at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.

A former resident of Hornel Street in the city, he moved in 1962 to an area of Howard County that would eventually become Columbia. Since 2015, he had been living at Charlestown.

Mr. Davis was a fan of big band music and had been a lifelong dancer. It was at a neighborhood dance that he met Mary Jo Harris. Theyfell in love and married in1952. Mrs. Davis died in 2012. He was a season ticket holder for the Baltimore Ravens and was also a fan of the Orioles. He enjoyed being outdoors and spending time with his family.

Mr. Davis had been a communicant of Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church and St. Louis Catholic Church in Clarksville, and St. Paul Catholic Church, 3755 St. Paul St., Ellicott City, where a Mass of Christian burial will be offered at 10 a.m. Saturday.

He is survived by four daughters, Linda O’Neill of Glenwood, Pam Tetlow of Frederick, Deborah Ross of Leland, N.C., and Sandra Twohey of Greenville, S.C.; a sister, Dolores Reuter of Lititz, Pa.; 12 grandchildren; and 19 great-grandchildren. His son, John G. Davis Jr., died in 2017.