Stratford Evans Merced Funeral Home

Clayton Ogden, 47, died on Aug. 1 after being diagnosed with stomach cancer, according to the Santa Cruz Fire Department. His funeral and procession are planned for Friday in Merced. Called a “true hero,” by his co-workers, he was given the Medal of Valor for using his body to shield a civilian who had tripped and was caught in the middle of the firefight between police officers and a suspect in 2014, according to the department. Ogden’s cancer diagnosis came without warning after an injury during a fire drill about 10 weeks ago, according to Mike Bonifay, Ogden’s brother-in-law and close friend. Doctors discovered cancer had spread to his brain, spinal cord, lungs, colon and bones. Clayton was one cape short of being a superhero, though he would give everyone else credit.Clayton Ogden’s family wrote in an obituary “Clayton was one cape short of being a superhero, though he would give everyone else credit,” his family wrote in an obituary. ...

Davis, who was widely known as “Mr. D,” was 81. Originally from New Orleans, Davis settled in Merced decades ago, according to his son-in-law, Tori Eva. He died on Sept. 8, according to Eva, of undetermined causes. Davis was a Tenaya Junior High teacher who went on to be an assistant superintendent of the Merced County Office of Education. He also was integral in the local civil rights movement, said Napoleon Washington Jr., a Merced insurance agent who was mentored by Davis. “He was always trying to reach down and lift somebody else up,” Washingston said. Born on May 15, 1934, Davis left New Orleans to attend Texas College in Tyler, Texas. He also served two years as a Marine in the 1950s. He began substitute teaching in San Francisco, before being offered a full-time teaching job by Merced City School District. His first apartment in Merced was a rental on 12th Street that accepted minorities, according to his family , as the city was still segregated at the time. ...

Deputy Lucas Hukill, 39, died Tuesday night at a hospital in Palo Alto, Sheriff Vern Warnke confirmed. “It’s just a shame that a man in the absolute prime of life was stricken down by such a horrible disease. We’re going to miss him and miss him sadly,” Warnke said Wednesday. “It’s going to leave a hole in our hearts. It’s all I can do not to burst into tears.” He is survived by his wife, Jeanette, and their three young girls, Kayleen, 9, Karissa, 8, and Kinsley, 2. Hukill joined the Merced County Sheriff’s Department in 2008 after serving several years as a deputy in Mariposa County. He was perhaps best known in the community for his work on the county’s Inter-agency Narcotics Task Force, where he worked for more than five years, deputies said. Hukill was the lead investigator in 2013 during one of the largest drug cases in the county’s history. More than 400 pounds of crystal methamphetamine was taken off Merced County’s streets during that case, Sgt. Rich Howard said. ...