Obituary of Howard J. Davis

Howard J. Davis, retired research chemist, beloved husband and father, died peacefully at home on Dec 18 in Annandale, NJ. He was 87 years old, and is survived by his wife of 57 years, Helen Davis, and son, Philip Davis, and daughter, Cynthia Carmen. He was predeceased by a sister and four brothers and is also survived by many nieces and nephews. Howard graduated from Penn State University in 1944, with a degree in Chemistry. Following service in the navy, he joined the technical staff of Celanese Corporation at the Summit NJ Technical Center where he carried out a wide range of research studies. Part of his career was devoted to research improving and developing membranes used in hemodialysis and reverse osmosis. His early work in the detection of the hazardous components of cigarette smoke was also widely recognized, as was his expertise in the areas of desalination of seawater using reverse osmosis. Howard was the author or co-author of numerous papers and publications in analytical chemistry and separation science published in technical journals, and held several United Sates and British patents. Howard retired from Celanese in 1981, and he and his wife moved to Cape May. But he continued to consult with Celanese for a few more years, and kept abreast of the latest developments in membrane technology. He was instrumental in guiding the City of Cape May to a solution of it's water supply problems through the use of reverse osmosis desalination. The desal plant went into service in 1998, and solved the city's problems of salt water intrusion into it's drinking water wells. Howard was active in the church, and served as treasurer. He enjoyed over thirty years of retirement in Cape May with his wife, before they moved to Annandale to be near their children. A memorial service will be held at the Clinton Presbyterian Church in Clinton, NJ, on Jan 29th at 1:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made either to the Clinton Presbyterian Church, 91 Center Street, Clinton, NJ, 08809, or the First Presbyterian Church, 500 Hughes Street, Cape May, NJ 08824.