Colonel Gordon R. Davis Jr.

Colonel Gordon Reed Davis JR, 93, died at the Hospice of the Golden Isles on January 16, 2018. He was a resident of Jekyll Island and then St. Simons Island since retirement from the United States Army in 1971.

Colonel Davis was preceded in death by his father Gordon R. Davis SR; his mother Bettie Lou Reames Davis; and a brother Col. James W. Davis. He is survived by his wife Frances Page Davis; daughter Melanie Davis Boaz (Lonnie) of Brunswick GA; son Gordon Reed Davis III (Karen) of Rio Verde AZ; two stepdaughters : Page Andrews Watson (Hal) of Greenville NC and Patricia Leland Andrews of Raleigh NC; a proud claim to eight grandsons, five great-grandchildren and many beloved nieces and nephews.

Colonel Davis was born in Dinwiddie County, VA on June 20, 1924 on his grandfather’s farm. He grew up in the Davis House on Camp Lee VA. He attended VPI (Virginia Tech) and graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha during his military service. He entered the US Army in World War II and was commissioned a second lieutenant from Officer Candidate School and served for over 29 years including service in the Pacific during WWII, Korea and Vietnam. He served in Vietnam from 1968-1969. Most of that time he was Division Artillery Commander in the renowned 101st Airborne, the “Screaming Eagles.” He retired from the army in 1971 at Ft. Bragg NC where he was commander of the XVIIIth Airborne Corps Artillery.

Colonel Davis was a teaching tennis professional on Jekyll Island where he took over the tennis center and began to provide access to tennis lessons and other tennis services at the old tennis center. In many ways this was his dream job. He loved tennis with a passion and continued playing until he was 90. He also had a brief stint as a history teacher at Brunswick High School. Later he was approached by some local community leaders to help begin the conversion and development of the recently closed Glynco Naval Air Station in Brunswick. He served as Executive Director of this conversion committee and later served for approximately 10 years as the first Executive Director for the Glynn Development Authority. He was also the first Executive Director for the Glynn County Airport Commission. He was a volunteer for MAP International and Habitat for Humanity. Col. Davis was a long time member of the Sea Palms Golf and Tennis Club.

It has been hard to compress the life of this man into a few short words. He was greatly loved by family and friends alike; he was a good husband and father; he served his country with dedication, determination, distinction and with his whole heart. He earned the respect of the men he commanded. He was a true American hero. He was a good soldier.

The memorial service will be held at 2:00 PM on January 27, 2018 at Lovely Lane Chapel at Epworth by the Sea on St. Simons Island. A reception for family and friends will be held after the service at Epworth. Colonel Davis will be laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Hospice of the Golden Isles or Epworth by the Sea.

Arrangements are entrusted into the care of Edo Miller and Sons Funeral Home www.edomillerandsons.com