A memorial service to commemorate the life of the late Anthony (Tony) Davis took place yesterday at St. Paul?s Church in Paget. Mr. Davis, 64, succumbed to medical complications on Christmas Day.

Born in London, England, Mr. Davis spent much of his boyhood in Kenya, and spoke fluent Swahili.

He joined his father in Bermuda in 1958, where both worked for Cable and Wireless, and he married Antoinette (Toni) Birdsey, daughter of the late artist Alfred Birdsey, in July, 1962.

The couple, who have one son, Michael, moved to Australia in 1970, where Mr. Davis worked for Rank Xerox.

On returning to Bermuda in 1975, he became general manager of Mr. Birdsey?s Paget studio until 1990 when, accompanied by his wife, he left to fulfil his dream of owning a boat, , and cruise the canals of Europe from Amsterdam, Holland to Avignon, France.

Inspired by their three-year adventure, Mr. Davis wrote the book, ?Cruising Through France with Bermuda II?, published by Pentland Press.

He then became a recognised authority on French inland waterways in particular, and was regarded as the successor to Briton Hugh McKnight, who wrote the foreword to Mr. Davis? book.

In 2000, Mr. and Mrs. Davis returned to Europe where they purchased and continued cruising.

Ironically, telephone negotiations with the Dutch broker to sell the vessel in 2003 took place during the height of Hurricane Fabian.

Mr. Davis? involvement with the Bermuda Festival began during his wife?s tenure as General Manager, when he became an enthusiastic helper wherever he was needed.

More recently, he was known for his invaluable work as box office manager.

In particular, he completely redesigned and automated the box office ticketing system.

Together with his son, owner of Point Media Ltd., Mr. Davis created the web site www.bermudafestival.com which now makes it possible for patrons not only to see at a glance the status quo of tickets for any event, but also to book them online.

?As a member of the Festival family, Tony was a friend for many years,? Bermuda Festival chairman Geoffrey Moore said. ?He was a valuable contributor to the Festival team, and ran the box office with enthusiasm, efficiency and humour.

?We all will sorely miss him. I extend our deepest sympathy to his wife, Toni, who was a General Manager of the Festival for many years, and to his family and many friends.?

A keen member of the Radio Society of Bermuda (RSB), Mr. Davis? call sign was Tony-VP9LR.

Proficient at Morse code, he made friends all over the world, among them the late King Hussein of Jordan, and actively promoted Bermuda during his many overseas conversations on ham radio.

Fellow RSB member Tom Trimingham remembers Mr. Davis as ?an extremely generous man who, if you needed something and he had it, if your car wasn?t locked, you would leave his house with it?.

?He had a love of fine food, and would regale us with tales of what he had cooked or was going to cook, and it always sounded impressive.

?You could talk to him ons radio and he would always leave you feeling hungry.

?He also had a fine appreciation of the English language, and would be quick to correct you if you used it the wrong way.

?Conversations with him were always stimulating ? well thought out, well spoken and well presented.

?We are all going to miss him.?

Mr. Davis was a founder-member of the Bermuda Offshore Cruising Association (BOCA), and a former zone chairman of the Lions Clubs of Bermuda.

A diabetic for 34 years, his family has requested that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Diabetic Association, P.O. Box DV 506, Devonshire DV BX in Mr. Davis? memory.