Ronald Martin Davis

January 16, 1933 – December 6th, 2014

Ron is “on the road again”; it’s just a different road.

Ron was born during the Depression, which seemed to mark his life in a positive way as evidenced by his determination to greet everyone with a smile, a handshake or, for the females, a hug, before asking, “Everything okay? Are you happy?” Followed by, “Well, good” and a pat on the shoulder after a positive response. He just had that gift. You know the one—the one that makes you walk away feeling a little bit better about everything. Ron appreciated life and loved people.

Ron was born and raised in the Grand Prairie/Irving area, and as a young teen (too young to drive legally), he bought an old Model A Ford with money he made working odd jobs. He often told how, on bad weather days, he would get up early for school and make extra money pulling cars out of ditches and mud pits. In 1958, after serving in Korea as a Air Force mechanic, Ron agreed to go on a blind date with the woman whom he would spend the next 56 years, Patricia. According to legend, Ron proposed marriage on their first official date, which made Pat think he was a tad bit crazy. But Ron—a perfectionist to the core—always acted fast when he made up his mind. They had dated only a few months when Pat called him up at work and said, “Okay, let’s get married.” The problem was—she had tickets to see The King and I at the Dallas Summer Musicals that night, and she wasn’t missing it. After the show, he picked her up, rings in hand, and off they went to Durant, OK, where upon they got the Justice of the Peace out of bed at 2 a.m. to perform the ceremony. Ron loved to tell about the day, a few months later, when Pat walked in the door and announced, “I quit my job, and I’m pregnant.” It was a week before the birth of their daughter, Rhonda, years later, that Ron began working for Mobil Oil, from whom he later retired. During his tenure there, he attended night classes, and eventually received his Associates Degree in Mechanical Engineering.

By 1969, Ron rediscovered his love for his other lady, the Model A Ford, also known as “Henry’s Lady.” He and Pat joined the Dallas Model A Ford Club (and later the Fort Worth Model A Club) and soon after purchased their 1929 Tudor. Over the years, Ron and Pat have traveled America’s highways and back roads—coast to coast--in the many Model A’s he restored over his lifetime. He joined and held leadership positions (official and unofficial) in many different car clubs, both locally and nationally. He won the first ever award for “Car of the Year” in the Dallas Club (now a yearly tradition), he instigated a restoration workshop program to teach other hobbyist to work and restore their cars—which continues to this day—and, with his family, was voted “Family of the Year” in 1979. His 1929 Phaeton Model A won top awards at both the Model A Restorer’s Club and Model A Ford Club of America national meets—both of whom incorporate strict judging guidelines. The awards represent his dedication to detail and perfection, and few hobbyist have ever won awards in both clubs. In 2009, Ron and Pat received special recognition by the Dallas Model A Club for their lifetime of service and enthusiasm for the Model A hobby. Ron instilled his love for the hobby with his son Kenneth and grandson Matt, both of whom continue his restoration skill and tradition; his daughter Rhonda, who enjoys driving his 1929 Roadster on car tours and parades; his daughter-in-law Lynda and granddaughter Jessica, who, with Pat, participate in Model A Fashions—locally and nationally; and friends too numerous to mention.

With their family and friends, Ron and Pat loved to travel. As young, and therefore financially strained parents, they took their family camping—in tents, then a pop-up trailer—then a used Mobile Scout. As empty nesters, they were the first tourists, during the mid-1980s—to visit the newly reformed China. They also backpacked through Europe, visited Israel, and cruised the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. With their children and grandchildren, they traveled all across America, attending Model A events and meeting lots of very interesting people along the way. In 2000 and 2001, they traveled as the support vehicle behind his son, Ken, and his students at L.D. Bell High School in the X-Cup Division of The Great Race. In their retirement years, Ron and Pat continued their travels with their Sunday School class at Colleyville’s First Baptist Church, where they were active members. Ron’s old road has now ended, but his eternal journey has just begun, and we celebrate the life he lived and shared with us.

Ron is survived by his wife, Patricia; his son, Kenneth Davis and his wife Lynda, and their children Jessica and Matthew; daughter Rhonda Davis, and daughter Kelli Davis Wilkes and her husband Steve of Oregon; his brothers Gene and his wife LaQuita of Irving and Bobby and his wife Ruth of Lindale; numerous nieces, nephews, great nieces, and great nephews, especially his niece Nancy Lawrence Lewis of Mesquite with whom he was very close. He is preceded in death by his parents, Chester and Alyene Prather, his brother Charles Prather, his sister-in-law Phyllis Lawrence and nephew Richard Lawrence of Mesquite.

Visitation hours are Wednesday, December 10th, from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. at Bluebonnet Hills. The funeral will be held at First Baptist Church, Colleyville, Tx, at 9:00 a.m. An early-morning reception will begin at 8:15 a.m. Those wishing to drive their vintage cars are welcome to do so.