Armand A. Davy, 67, died Thursday, Sept. 5, 2013.
Armand was born Aug. 3, 1946, in Haverhill, Mass., to his parents Albert and Margaret (Sherman) Davy.
He was schooled in Worcester, Mass., and then attended the Culinary Institute of America.
He served in the United States Army from 1968 to 1970. He and his wife raised their family in Easthampton, Mass., for 34 years while he worked at the Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, Mass., as food service director before retiring to York in 2005, where he and his wife enjoyed their retirement.
Armand was very active in the church, helped regularly at the Food Pantry and Table of Plenty, and participated in countless other volunteer opportunities. Most importantly however, he spent as much time as possible with his family as well as playing golf, which was his passion, practicing and playing primarily at the Cape Neddick Country Club. Armand was a man who felt great compassion and kindness towards others. It was this that lead to his invitation to serve on the Board of Directors for Riverside Industries where he helped develop a valuable work program for adults with special needs, hiring many of their residents in his own kitchen at the Williston Northampton School.
He is survived by his best friend and wife, Patricia R. (Lessard) Davy, who he joined with in marriage in October of 1969 and Armand’s two children, Paul Armand Davy and his wife Amy and Renee Davy Swartz and her husband Erik. Armand has four grandchildren, Finneas and Teegan Davy and Evry and Caleb Swartz. He is also survived by his sister Helen Young, many nieces, nephews, cousins and so many dear friends.
In lieu of flowers, people are welcome to make a donation in Armand’s memory to Northeast Passagehttp://nepassage.org/donate.
Thank you so much for all your service over the years. You were a good man and provided great service to us all.
Wow. When I was at the reunion this year having lunch, we were discussing Armand’s years at the school. He was quite the character! Rest in peace!
Armand was a gentle soul with a generous spirit who did a wonderful job in the dining hall at WHS while sharing his huge heart through his work with Riverside Industries. Thank you for your many years of deticated service to our community.
Armand was a pro in every sense. I am remembering the tour of the ‘new kitchen’ he gave me 10 years ago. He had taken the whole foodservice program at Willy to a new level. He was rightfully very proud of the fact that in his years he created systems to support almost all of the food being made from scratch and on-site. This is no small feat in today’s food service world. Armand was a good man.
My condolences to Pat, and the rest of the Davy family.
I am saddened to hear of the passing of Armand, another of the “old guard” of Williston. Providing variety and quality in a menu is hard enough, combine that with doing it three times a day, seven days a week for an entire school calendar year and you can appreciate the daunting task. Armand took on that challenge and excelled! As teens most of us were not hung up on good nutrition, or interested in understanding why cereal for dinner after a tough hockey or soccer practice was not going to help our bodies recover, but Armand did. He kept us all well feed and looked after, making sure that we had what we needed to stay healthy. That job was big enough, now consider his giving nature, his community outreach programs, his improvements to the physical plant, and the fact that he knew every face that walked through those doors into his dining hall and you are able to appreciate the soul of the man. Today it is not just his personal family or even the Williston family, it is the extended community that grieves. He touched so many lives just by being a good person that his loss is felt by all those who came into contact with him. My condolences go out to Patricia and the entire family during this difficult time.
Peter Kostos ’87
This is such sad news. I remember Armand was always smiling! My thoughts are with the Davy family.
Sad news- Armand was someone who cared for his work, a real craftsman. – Alex Cowan ’94
I knew Armand since 1974 when my mom first started working for Williston-Northampton. What he did for the school and for us growing up in one of the toughest moments of our lives was nothing short of a miracle. Not only did he make sure that each and everyone of us were properly fed three times a day seven days a week but he went above and beyond the call of duty when those special occasions called for something more than the run of the mill cafeteria food. I am referring to the awesome special events like Halloween and Christmas parties that were famous for his excellent roast beef as well as organizing meals for graduations and alumni moments. His kindness and generosity will always be remembered and he will live in Williston’s memories well passed the time when most of us will be no more. May you forever rest in peace, mentor and friend.
As business manager at Williston in the late 1980’s I was responsible for supervising Armand, which was no responsibility at all, because he did his job without any need of supervision. The kitchen is the heart of the home, and dining services are the heart of the boarding school. If students, faculty and staff were happy with the meals, they were happy at school too. Armand was a classy guy, which came out in all of his interactions. He was in front of the curve in menu planing and execution. Parents might not have liked the Commencement speaker, but they sure enjoyed the meal afterwards. Pat: please accept my condolences.
Jim
Who can forget Friday Steak Night? We all looked forward to that meal! Armand was so earnest in trying to please the finicky teen palate. I was always impressed by how hard he worked, especially the menu for the vegetarian table. Amazing meals!
I am so sorry to hear of Armand’s passing. He was such a wonderful man and a large part of the Williston I remember. My thoughts and prayers are with the Davy family.
Armand was always so nice….used to let me load up on oranges so I had something to eat after late hockey practices. I used to give him a sad, pathetic look as I walked over towards him, and he would reply with a grin and the tilt of his head for me to go get some:) I can’t imagine Williston without him! Hope his retirement was enjoyed….he certainly deserved it!!!
I am so saddened by the news of Armand’s passing. I have great memories of Armand more so as a customer than FSD at Willy. I sold lots of food to Armand for the dining hall over the years prior to his retirement. He attended my company’s golf tournament several years in a row and we sat on a few Food service committees together. My thoughts and prayers go to Pat and family.
Armand was my first boss, back in 1974 when I was 14 years old. I’d never had a job before, and he was very kind, showing me what to do and being patient with my bumbling. I left Williston with many new skills and certainly not the least of them were the life lessons I learned working in that kitchen. They included the mandate to be courteous and respectful to everyone no matter their station or presentation in life, how to work hard and do things thoroughly and well, and how to be responsible. My best to his family. Thank you, Armand.
While I saw Mr. Davy nearly every day in the cafeteria during my six years at Williston, I remember him best as a kind, encouraging, and thoughtful coach of our middle school basketball team. I was (and still am) a basketball player with little true instinct for the game, but Mr. Davy’s encouragement allowed me to play to the best of my ability, and have fun doing it. My deepest condolences to Pat, Paul, and Renee.
Armand, thank you for feeding us with food and your bright smile. You were a blessing to us.
Armand, your services for the school will always be remembered by thousands of us. Although I spent only an academic year at Williston, l can still recall your smile every times when I went to the cafeteria. Thank you for all you have done at Williston and may you rest in peace in heaven. My deepest condolence to his wife and children.
To the entire Davy family, my condolences on your loss.
Armand worked closely with my husband, Mike Schuller, who was CFO from 1990-1998. Mike always valued Armand’s profesionalism and great humor- especially when talking about their golf scores! Our family lived in Pitcher house for 8 years and we always went to Sunday brunch – one of Armand’s best weekly meals! Our family extends our deepest condolences to Mrs. Davy and her family. Candace Schuller
I will always remember your kind smile and how you opened your kitchen up to me when you heard I was thinking about going to culinary school. My thoughts and prayers are with your family. May you rest in peace.
Armand was such a nice guy. Literally every single time I ate at the dining hall, he would tease me about how I was starting to look more and more like my father every day. He left for retirement as I graduated. I hope he enjoyed it.
Wow. I worked in the cafeteria for three years under Armand’s supervision. RIP Armand. Condolences to his family and friends.
Thank you for inspiring me to do what I love. Well done, Chef. Well done.
When I came to work for Armand in December of 1989 I started as a dish room helper. Armand and his staff took the time to teach me about cooking and doing my best. I am sorry to hear of his passing and would like to send my prayers and thought to Pat, Paul and Renee. I know that he will not be forgotten.
To this day (37+ years later), I still talk about the fantastic food and food program by Armand at W-N. I was just back in Easthampton and walking through the campus telling my husband about how memorable the meals were at school thanks to Armand. Everything was tasty and of quality. I ate everything (probably too much)! And I remember how excited I was that he was still there and prepared the food for the reunion I attended before he retired.
I am sad to learn that Armand has passed away, but I will never forget his delicious food. In my opinion, he was a master at his craft.
So sad to learn of Armands passing. I have fond memories of him always smiling and so friendly. What a tough job he had but he did it very well. My deepest sympathies to his family. He will be deeply missed.
I worked for Armand from 1974 to 1976 .He taught me responsibility, acountability, a job started is half finished, and that anything you do in this life is part of your legacy , do every to the best of your ability because anything less is unacceptable. I took the lessons he taught me , the example he set for me and used it every day during my career in the US Navy. My deepest sympathy to his family, you are in my prayers.
Jim