Louise Davies, a longtime Pacific Palisades resident, passed away at her San Remo Drive home on August 26 at the age of 81. She died of natural causes after a lengthy struggle with Parkinson’s disease. Best known as one of the Palisades’ leading realtors during the 1970s and 1980s, Louise and her husband, Merton E. Davies, a legendary planetary scientist with The Rand Corporation, will be remembered as much for the character and charm of their household as for their important accomplishments in business and science. Born in Santa Monica on June 18, 1924, Margaret Louise Darling was the first child of Shelby Rogers Darling and Kathleen Dodge. Her father, born in Oregon in 1895, was a descendant of early pioneers of Kentucky and Ohio, and moved to Southern California in 1910. Her mother Kathleen’s roots date back to among the first American colonists, and all four of Kathleen’s grandparents were living in California by the 1860s, making Louise a fourth-generation Californian. Louise’s only sibling, David, was born in 1931. The young family’s early years during the Depression were difficult, and at times they lived in a trailer while Shelby pursued work in farming and construction. After graduating from Van Nuys High School in 1942, and blessed with movie-star good looks, Louise began work in a department store where her natural charm and abilities were quickly recognized. In 1945 she met Merton Davies, a young Stanford graduate who worked as an engineer at Douglas Aircraft during World War II. On February 9, 1946, they were married in Santa Monica, and their first child, Deidra Louise Davies, was born August 18, 1947. After the war, Merton joined Rand, where he would remain his entire career. He and Louise had two sons, Albert (born in 1950) and Merton, Jr., born in 1951. In 1948, Merton and Louise bought a lot at 468 Arbramar in the Palisades and built their first home. At Rand, Merton worked on top-secret Cold War battle plans as a pioneer scientist in the field of satellite reconnaissance, while Louise managed the household and educated the children. Every weekend was spent at the beach with neighborhood friends, and the summers included three cross-country trips with a travel trailer. From 1960-63, the family lived in Alexandria, Virginia, while Merton worked at Rand’s office in the Pentagon with Air Force intelligence. Louise enjoyed life in and around Washington, D.C. during the Kennedy Administration, and Merton’s work brought them into high-ranking political and military social circles. When the family returned to the Palisades, Louise got her real estate broker’s license and began her successful business career. After starting with Ross Price Realty, she opened Louise Davies Real Estate in about 1967. Many of her clients started as referrals from Rand, but Louise established herself as honest, reliable and extremely capable. At one point she owned and managed two offices, one in the Palisades and in Santa Monica, with a total of over 20 agents and employees. In 1984, she served as president of the Pacific Palisades branch of the Los Angeles Board of Realtors. During this period, she occasionally found attractive investment properties and began another career in residential property ownership and management. Ultimately, her holdings would include numerous apartments, retail and residential properties in the Palisades and other areas of Los Angeles. When Merton began applying his space photography skills to planetary exploration of the solar system in the late 1960s, he worked with many international colleagues and organizations, and as a result, he and Louise began traveling around the world, often to remote destinations. As a result, they accumulated many new friends who would then visit them in Los Angeles. Louise took great pride in their children and grandchildren. Her daughter Deidra, a probate and trusts attorney in Santa Monica, married Chris Stauff and they have four children, Tamara, Katherine, Corinne and Kirk. Her son Albert, an entrepreneur in the wind-energy industry, lives in Santa Rosa and is married to Sally Jacobs. They have three children, Brendan, Meara and Colin. Her youngest son, Randy, is a real estate lawyer, married to Deborah Schelling, with two daughters, Kimberly and Carolyn. Louise also had two great-grandchildren, Gage Madison Stauff and Kendall Louise Stauff. As a businesswoman Louise was successful through dedication and hard work, a keen ability to recognize the requirements of her clients, good judgment, common sense and an engaging personality. She was bluntly honest and reliable, which earned her many repeat and referral customers. The same traits gained her the admiration of her family and friends. Always mindful of her difficult early years, she was cautious in financial matters, yet generous in the support of her family’particularly in matters of investment, travel and education, which she viewed as among the most admirable of pursuits. Even after the loss of her lifelong companion, Merton, after 56 years of marriage, and while her own health deteriorated, Louise remained dedicated to her work and to the care and support of her family. Services will be held at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday, September 3, at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Chapel, 5600 Lindero Canyon Rd., in Westlake Village. Contact: (818) 889-0902.
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