Obituaries

In 1967, he joined the Forest Service as a research forester in its Pacific Northwest Forest and Range Experiment Station, based in Portland, Ore.

Mr. Randall loved travel and reading and maintained an intense interest in history, meteorology, astronomy and other natural sciences. He was a member of the Society of American Foresters and was active in the Forest Service Retirees Club of Washington.

Survivors include his wife of 30 years, Linda Randall of Springfield; three children, Carl Randall of Orinda, Calif., Debra Randall-Fleming of Mapleton, Ore., and Scott Randall of Sedro Woolley, Wash.; a stepson, Paul Landis of Springfield, Ore.; and eight grandchildren.

Mark J. DavisGovernment Relations Official

Mark John Davis, 56, a government lawyer who since January had been assistant director of government relations for the Financial Planning Association, died Oct. 6 at Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore. He suffered complications from liver failure.

After leaving federal service in 2000, Mr. Davis, a resident of Greenbelt, became associate general counsel for the North American Securities Administrators Association.

He was a native Washingtonian and a 1966 graduate of Wilson High School. He was a 1970 political science graduate of Albion College in Michigan and a 1973 graduate of Georgetown University's law school. In 1987, he received a master's degree in legislative affairs from George Washington University.

Early in his career, he was a staff assistant for Sen. Vance Hartke (D-Ind.) and legislative counsel for the Justice Department's Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, among other positions in government.

In 1993, he became senior staff counsel for the old House Committee on the District of Columbia. He later was legislative director and legal counsel for Reps. Frank D. Riggs (R-Calif.) and Lee R. Terry (R-Neb.)

As a young man, he was known for elaborate pranks on friends, including taking street signs and, in essence, directing traffic to their homes.

At his death, he was president of the Woodland Hills Community Association in Greenbelt.

Survivors include his wife of 33 years, Constance Kerns Davis of Greenbelt; a son, Matthew Z. Davis of Savage; and a sister.