Thomas D. Davis

Thomas “Duke” Davis, age 92, of Huntsville, AL, died January 18, 2017. Tom Davis was an outgoing person with a keen intellect and a genuine interest in the well being of others. He had a good sense of humor and an appreciation for music and the beauty of nature. Tom was born in Water Valley, MS, and went to Crowder Mississippi High School. In WWII as a member of the 11th Airborne Division he made parachute drops into the Philippine Islands of the South Pacific theater. On the G. I. Bill he graduated from the University of Memphis and in the 1960s he was a quality control engineer for NASA. On March 9, 1965, Tom walked with his fellow Unitarian Universalists in the second civil rights march in Selma, AL. From 1972 on, he taught construction and drafting at J. O. Johnson High School and Ed White Middle School. After retirement Tom enjoyed genealogy research, home improvements, and religious and political discussions. Tom was preceded in death by his parents Barbara Ann Davis and Thomas C. Davis and his siblings Elsie Wilson, Maureen Shaw, Jewette Davis, and Elwyn Brasher. He is survived by his beloved three children Laurie Valiga (Robert), Russell O. Davis (Marylyn Coffey), and Thomas E. Davis, by friend and ex-wife Edna S. Davis, and by his brother- and sister-in-law Frank and Rebecca Holm and their children Susan Maynard, Phyllis Wood, John Holm, George Holm, and their families. He is also survived by ex-wife Darlene M. Davis and her children, by his nieces, great nieces, and great nephews, by cousin Lisa Davis, and by his thoughtful, interesting, and talkative friends in Huntsville's Glee & Perloo Society. Arrangements are by Valhalla Funeral Home. Please sign the guest registry and leave condolences for the family at www.valhallafunerals.com. There will be a Celebration of Life for family and friends at 10 a.m. on February 7, 2016, at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Huntsville, 3921 Broadmor Road.