Edward Marion Davis

Edward Marion Davis was born in Baltimore, MD, to the late Edward Davis and Betty Jean Peake. After the untimely passing of her husband, Betty moved with her son, Edward, to Jersey City, NJ, before eventually settling in Charlotte, NC.

Edward, who preferred to be called “Ed,” graduated from Olympic High School in 1971. After graduating, Ed found work at Piedmont Natural Gas Company. His initial duties involved cleaning and making supply runs, but his goal was to become a welder. At that time, there were no minority welders in the company, and no one was willing to train them. A chance meeting with an older coworker gave him hope. He was told that if he wanted the position, he’d have to teach himself by practicing on Sundays when the shop was empty.

Ed began studying individual welders while they worked and practicing what he observed on weekends. When he felt ready, Ed asked to be tested. He passed with very high marks and went on to become one of the top welders on his crew and the first minority to earn that position.

After a long stint in welding, Ed moved into the janitorial industry, working for several companies before deciding to become an entrepreneur. He stepped out on faith and founded Allgood Janitorial and Building Services, which he successfully ran for many years.

As a child, Ed and his mother, Betty, had joined the Berean Seventh-day Adventist Church in Charlotte, NC. It was there that his talent for singing was discovered. Ed had a powerful singing voice but could also emulate almost any singer he heard, including two of his favorites, Sam Cooke and James Cleveland. He often sang lead in the church gospel choir and was also a member of the men’s quartet.

Ed loved reading and studying history, and his favorite sport was boxing. He could go on at length talking about either subject. He loved the Lord and enjoyed having family devotions on Sabbath evenings. Family was extremely important to him, and his love for his mother was incomparable.

Ed was a private person who never wanted to be a burden to anyone, especially after his mother's passing in 2023. Silently, he began to battle an illness that became critical in November of 2025. He was a fighter, and he fought to stay, but God knew when it was time for him to take his rest.

On December 18th, 2025, after living to see all of his children’s birthdays, the last birthday being December 17th, Ed passed away in his sleep. He was preceded in death by his beloved mother, Betty P. Watson. He leaves to cherish in memory five children: Ivan Davis, Sharmeen Davis, Felicia Mejia, Shayla Martinez, and Gavin (Brittany) Davis; 14 grandchildren: Taylor (Deon) Heath, Michael, Jonathan, Fabianna, Larissa, Aniya, Josiah, Shiloh, Zion, Hitomi, Jayden, Halo, Easton, and Aila. One great-grandson, Deon (Junior)

He also has two remaining uncles, James and Leroy Peake, a host of cousins, and friends.

Additionally, to cherish his memory is his longtime best friend, Aaron Lee, who was more like a brother; they spoke daily and went out monthly for a bite to eat. His mother’s best friend, Ms. Arlien. Her daughter, “Peaches,” would call and check on him regularly on her mother's behalf. Lastly, Hyacinth “Big Sister” Whitaker, who faithfully called Ed every Friday evening after his mother passed until the very end.

A visitation will be held at Forest Lawn West Funeral & Cremation Service, located at 4601 Freedom Drive, Charlotte, NC 28208, United States. The visitation is scheduled for January 11, 2026, from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm.