Davis R. Steelquist, a longtime Burien and Des Moines resident, died December 14, 2007, after a progressive illness. He spent the last three years as a resident of Crista Senior Community in Shoreline. In his professional career he was an executive at Olympic Steamship Corporation and senior manager at Showa Line.

Mr. Steelquist was born in Albany, Oregon, on January 2, 1922, the third child of Reuben Steelquist and Pauline Davis Steelquist. He was a third-generation Oregonian and great-grandson of Oregon pioneers Benjamin and Catherine Davis, who immigrated to Eugene by the Oregon and Applegate trails in 1847. In 1930, his family moved to Brazil, where his father, an engineer, directed electrical utility companies. He returned to the United States to attend junior high school at the Palo Alto Military Academy and Burlingame High School in the Bay Area. His parents returned to Portland, Oregon, in 1939 just before World War II.

In 1940, he entered Stanford University. In 1942, he married Barbara Jean Foskett, of Portland, Oregon. They had two children, Davis Jr. and Carol, divorcing in 1947. Mr. Steelquist entered the U.S. Army in 1943, received basic training and attained the rank of Sergeant in the Military Police. Duties included guarding Italian prisoners-of-war and serving in the guard unit of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's residence at Hyde Park, New York. He was in the honor guard at Roosevelt's burial at Hyde Park. Following Germany's surrender, he was assigned to training in Army Intelligence, but discharged in 1946 after the Japanese surrender.

In 1946, he returned to Stanford to complete his business degree, concentrating on the transportation industry. He graduated in 1948 and took a series of positions with Pierce Freight Lines and Consolidated Freightways in Oregon and Montana.

In 1950, he married Beverly Jean Hansen, of Bowbells, North Dakota. The couple lived in Oregon, settling in Beaverton in 1956. They had six children, Robert, Karna, Paul, Mark, Daniel and Timothy.

While in Portland, Mr. Steelquist worked for Pacific Intermountain Express, leaving in 1962 to join Sea-Land Services, which was introducing large-scale containerized freight handling in the Pacific Northwest.

He and Beverly divorced in 1965 and he relocated to Oakland, California, with their children. In 1967, the family moved to West Seattle, where he helped expand Sea-Land's sales operation as its Duwamish Waterway facilities grew. Later, he left Sea-Land to join Olympic Steamship Corporation, an agency representing many of the world's largest shipping lines calling at Puget Sound ports. There he became vice-president, assuming top management duties when Olympic Steamship was purchased by Showa Lines. He retired in 1984.

In 1972, he married Margaret Hoggatt Clarke, a career Group Health nurse. The family moved to Burien. With his sons, he was active in Boy Scouts in the Highline area, serving as Scoutmaster of Troop 374 and leading a troop to the 1979 World Jamboree in Sweden. As an adult Scout leader, he was awarded the Silver Beaver and other distinguished honors. Davis and Margaret moved to Des Moines in 1995. An avid fishing couple, they spent much time on the Hoh, Calawah and Quillayute rivers of the Olympic Peninsula and Nimpo Lake in British Columbia.

Mr. Steelquist was an accomplished wood-carver in his retirement, developing profound respect for, and mastery of, native Northwest Coast styles. His carvings included masks, paddles, bowls and smaller poles. Out of respect for Native American carvers, he never sold his artwork.

In 2005, after the death of Margaret, Mr. Steelquist moved to the Crista community in Shoreline.

Mr. Steelquist's brother Dr. John Steelquist, a San Diego surgeon, died in 1986. His sister, Karna Steelquist Wilgus, of New York City, died in 2004.

Mr. Steelquist is survived by all of his children: Davis Steelquist Jr., Quilcene, Carol Koller, Portland, Ore., Robert Steelquist, Sequim, Karna McKinney, Paul Steelquist, Puyallup, Mark Steelquist, Seattle, Daniel Steelquist, Blaine, Timothy Steelquist, Lynnwood, Barbara Lester, Federal Way, Patricia Anderson, Port Orchard, and Kay Robertson, Olalla. In addition, he is survived by 25 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

Remembrances may be made to the Boy Scouts of America, Chief Seattle Council Longhouse Fund or the Crista Ministries Good Samaritan Fund.