CMSgt (Ret USAF) William Thomas “Bill” Davis, 79, passed peacefully into eternity early on the morning of December 11, 2020. He was born on November 1, 1941 in Maywood, California, the oldest child of William Dausa Davis and Dorothy Deleath Horton. He was raised in Burbank, California with younger brother, Ronald James and sister, Mary Louise. He enjoyed sports and played both baseball and basketball. He was an avid fan of the Rams, Dodgers, and UCLA Bruins. He enlisted in the U.S. Army immediately following his graduation from John Burroughs High School in 1959. He served honorably until his release from active duty in 1962 and then from the active reserves in 1965. He met Susann Cross at Bob’s Big Boy in Toluca Lake soon after his return to Burbank and they were married on April 12, 1963. Their first two children, William “Steven” and Kimberly Anne were born while Bill and Susann resided in Burbank and Glendale.
Bill and Susann then decided to give Iowa (the land of the Horton family) a try and the young family moved there in the summer of 1967. After four years, Bill realized that military life was for him and he enlisted in the Air Force on a special program that allowed him to bridge his former Army Service and rank. The following years took the family to Hill AFB, Utah where son Kenneth Jason joined the family. Bill then served an unaccompanied tour of duty to Utapao Air Base in Thailand during the height of the Vietnam conflict. Their daughter Ashley Michelle became the youngest member of the family during the ensuing assignment at Reese AFB, TX. It was here that Bill established himself as pitcher / coach for the travelling base team that heavily involved summer weekends for the next 20 years and five military bases.
In late 1977 Bill returned to his original assignment in the military’s law-enforcement community where he absolutely thrived. He loved everything about his assignments, including missile security at Whiteman AFB, MO and overseeing security for military events across Europe and Asia. He served a second unaccompanied tour to Korea where he gained a great love for the people, culture, and food. A brief stint at Travis AFB was followed by more than 10-consecutive years of international assignments in Japan and the UK, which turned out to be his “glory years.” His final station of duty was at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, AL where he served with distinction as Maxwell-Gunter’s Senior Enlisted Advisor. He would have served until his dying day, but he retired reluctantly in May 1997 as a Chief Master Sargent and as the oldest-active-duty enlisted serviceman in any branch on the day of his retirement.
Before his retirement something quite remarkable happened. He became converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ and spent the greater part of the past 30 years in the service of the Lord and of his brothers and sisters. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints he served as an Elders Quorum President, Young Men’s Leader, and as a counselor in the Montgomery, AL Stake Presidency. His organizational skills and leadership abilities were fully evident when he later coordinated welfare deliveries from the Bishop’s Storehouse in Atlanta. He loved the U.S.A, Hawaii, and the Crimson Tide in his later years. Bill and Sue were Montgomery Biscuit season ticket holders. He also performed an amazing ministry among Montgomery’s young adults and helped guide many young men and young women through their difficult teenaged years.
In addition to his wife of 57 years and his children, he is also survived by his siblings, James and Mary. His grandchildren, who affectionately referred to his as “Grumpa,” include Kyle, Stephanie, Brooke, Brittany, Breanne, Bradley, Jacen, Emma, and Aaden. The fourth generation are also growing more numerous: Paxton, Annie, Paisley, Jack, Colt, Naomi, Nixon, and Nico. Finally, we want to thank the amazing staff at Jackson Hospital who cared lovingly for him over the final weeks of his life. Bill’s memorial service will be held this Sunday at 2PM CST via the FaceBook page Live transmission from Leak Memory Chapel in Montgomery. Burial with full military honors will be held at the National Cemetery in Fort Worth, TX. In lieu of flowers, the family would ask that you might consider an act of kindness for someone in need.
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