Outdoorsman the ‘real deal.’ Dad remembers kayaker who drowned at Lexington park
Lee Davis would describe his son Nick as “a typical boy,” who loved hunting, fishing and his red Corvette.
An avid outdoorsman, the 28-year-old learned to fish alongside his dad and other family “as soon as he was old enough to hold a fishing pole.” He learned to hunt around 10, and was fond of deer and turkey hunts.
He and his father spent a lot of time hunting together, and even as Nick Davis got older and wasn’t able to be at every hunt, his dad always took assurance that his son “would be there with him again.”
But Lee Davis doesn’t know if he will be able to go hunting anymore.
On April 14, Nick Davis died after his kayak overturned at Jacobson Park and his body was later recovered by Lexington Fire Department search and rescue. The Fayette County Coroner ruled Davis’ death as drowning. Emergency crews were dispatched after witnesses said they saw his kayak overturn and he never resurfaced.
“He passed away doing one of the hobbies that he loved the most,” Lee Davis said. A family rooted in their Christian faith, Lee Davis said he took comfort that Nick is getting “fishing lessons from the master fisherman in his heavenly home.”
Lee Davis said what made his son different than most people was his gentle, always upbeat and positive attitude.
“I never seen him cry that I can recall,” his dad said still surprised. “He was a good boy, good man, good person, and a good Christian.”
He was caring and giving, according to Nick Davis’ father. Most of all, he loved his family.
An outpouring of love for Nick Davis has followed on social media in light of his death. Many people expressed their love for Nick Davis and remembered him in the words exactly as his dad described — which brings him great comfort.
“It confirms the person that I knew and I loved as my son,” his dad said. “It showed that he lived a life outside of my presence — it wasn’t an act. He was the same person, out there with his friends and working, as he was to his family. He was the real deal.”
Services for Nick Davis will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, April 22 at Kerr Brothers on Harrodsburg Road. Visitation will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, April 21, at the funeral home. Burial will be in the Bluegrass Memorial Gardens.
This story was originally published April 18, 2024 at 10:27 AM.
CORRECTION: Nick Davis passed away on Sunday, April 14, 2024. The Lexington Fire Department search and rescue was who recovered his body.
