More than a thousand people packed into the Orange Function Centre on Friday afternoon to say their final goodbyes to John Davis.
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Friends and family laughed and shed tears as they tried to sum up the life of the former Orange and Blayney mayor as best they could.
His eldest daughter, Cassandra, described her dad as the "glue that held the family together" and the "apple of his family's eye".
"Dad and his family were never very religious, but even though dad was baptised into the Church of England, none of his siblings were," she said to the packed function centre crowd.
"Because granny maintained that when the priest baptised dad, he tried to drown him. So she simply didn't go back."
Cassandra also regaled the audience with a well-told story from her father's time as a teenager.
"Dad would always joke that he and his best mate at school, Bob Cray, were the two dumbest in the class and were often told that neither of them would amount to anything," she said with a smile.
"I think they both turned out okay."
But it was a story Cassandra told about her father's beloved business which nearly brought her to tears.
"This is the bit that gets me," she said.
"The success of John Davis Motors allowed dad to demonstrate his generous nature and we have no idea how many local sporting clubs, charities, events, raffles, auctions and individuals he has helped," she added.
"Some of the stories we have heard over the last few weeks since his passing have warmed our hearts."
Passion for sport
The middle of Mr Davis' three children, Benjamin, described his father's love of rugby league.
To his dad, football wasn't just a game; it was about a culture and club pride.
"Often we would have the players over for a pre-game breakfast," he said.
"Dad created a football family where respect was earned, honesty was appreciated, trust was gained and loyalty was returned."
This culture was built over many, many years.
Quite possibly Mr Davis' proudest accomplishment on the football field came during the 1976 Group 10 season.
After winning the reserve grade premiership with Ex-Services in 1973 and 1974, Mr Davis applied for the position of first grade head coach.
Having been told he didn't have enough experience, Mr Davis went to Blayney were he suited up alongside friend Greg Fearnley.
But the following year, it looked as though the Bears would be forced to pull out of the competition altogether.
"In true dad fashion, he applied for the role of first grade captain-coach and the headlines in the paper read 'reserve grader gets the first grade job'," Benjamin said.
Blayney had never won a first grade premiership and that year, the Bears scraped into the finals by coming in fourth place, or "a bad fourth" as Mr Davis would say.
With Cowra upsetting the red-hot Lithgow side, a grand final between the Bears and Magpies was set.
"Dad always said it was a fairy-tale win and one that forged his reputation as someone who loved being the underdog," Benjamin added.
Songs from 'Don't worry, be happy' to 'Always look on the bright side of life' played throughout Friday's service. They did indeed bring a smile to many a face.
A family man
The youngest of Mr Davis' three children, Gabrielle, described the selfless act her father undertook in 2017 when he decided not to contest the Orange City Council election after 31 years in local government.
"He did so because we, his family, didn't really want to share him any more and he was willing to give it all up to spend more time with us," she said.
"Given we are all here six years later, it was probably the right decision."
One of the 74-year-old's favourite sayings was that family came first, second and third.
"We remember many, many times that dad would have half-a-dozen invitations to various events on any given day, but if there was a family celebration, he would never miss it," Gabrielle added.
"He was often late, but he always made the effort to come.
"One of our cousins remembers how uncle John was late to a Mazda conference once because he had to attend her rabbit's first birthday party. That was the type of man dad was."
A tale that brought a smile to the face of many who turned out on Friday was one of Mr Davis' love for Christmas, most notably, his lights display.
"Ben and Simmo were enlisted to risk their lives on the roof, securing metres and metres of roof lights, Santa, the reindeers, whilst everyone else had to cover the lawn, the house and anything that was bolted down with twinkling lights," Gabrielle added.
"When it was all done, you couldn't boil the kettle without blowing a fuse but dad loved it."
As a final send off, Mr Davis' youngest child noted how many in the community thought of her father as a philanthropist, a mentor and even a moral compass.
"You may remember him as councillor, Mayor David or JD. To us he was just John, dad or pop," Gabrielle said.
"It doesn't matter how you knew him, there was one thing that was the same in all his different roles; his outlook on life.
"He simply wanted to make the world a better place in any way he could and we are forever grateful for that. You've done good, love ya."
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