Carlisle Ragland Davis Jr.

Carlisle Ragland Davis, Jr. (“Cardy”) died peacefully at home on April 24, 2026. He lived a full and joyful 90 ½ years, loved by family and friends. He was an aficionado of cars and ice cream, adored walks on the beach, and was always willing to share genealogy facts, investment tips or practical jokes.

Cardy was born on September 7, 1935 in Richmond, VA to Marion Floyd Davis and Carlisle Ragland Davis. His parents bestowed unconditional love and set high expectations, and Cardy worked diligently to succeed in school and in his jobs. At age 15, Cardy bought his first car from a junk yard, and rebuilding that Model A sparked a lifetime passion for automotive engineering.

In 1958, Cardy graduated from Virginia Tech with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and moved to Flint, Michigan to begin a 37-year career with General Motors (GM). In 1959, Cardy married Caroline Arnold and they embarked on a 34-year marriage, raising two daughters, Lucy and Pyper, who were their pride and joy. While working full time and supporting a family with Caroline, Cardy earned his MBA from the University of Michigan (and became a loyal football fan).

During his career at GM, Cardy was a strong team leader and innovative contributor, advancing through engineering design positions and then into quality and reliability positions at Buick, Cadillac and General Motors Corporation. Cardy was made a Platform Manager responsible for the development and production of whole car programs, including one of his favorite assignments – helping lead design of the ZR1 for Corvette. After retiring from GM, Cardy served as Senior Vice President of Operations for Outboard Marine for several years.

Throughout, Cardy gave back to his community. He was elected to the Grand Blanc Michigan Board of Education, chaired the Zoning Board of Appeals in Lake Forest, IL, and served as President of the Residents Council at Richland Place in Nashville, TN, among other roles. Cardy served on active duty and then as a reservist in the U.S. Army from 1958-1966 attaining the rank of captain.

Cardy also served on the Board of Directors of the Society of Automotive Engineers, the American Society for Quality Control, the Virginia Tech Engineering Advisory Board, and was a member of the Committee of 100 Distinguished Engineering Graduates and Tau Beta Pi Engineering Honor Society.

He is pre-deceased by his parents and by his ex-wife and dear friend, Caroline A. Davis. He is survived by his daughters, Lucy Furman Davis Haynes and Pyper Davis and his sons-in-law, Jeffery Norman Haynes and Eric Hardy Imperial, and by his six grandchildren William Campbell Haynes (Lauren Egan), Richard Furman Haynes, Benjamin Hardin Haynes, Caroline Davis Haynes, George Hardy Imperial and Carlisle Davis Imperial. He is also survived by his sister Jean Davis Bynum, his brother G. Gordon Davis, his sister-in-law Melissa Weller Davis, and six nieces and nephews. A visitation will be held starting at 10:30am on May 2nd with a memorial service following at 12:00pm at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Nashville, TN.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in Cardy’s memory to Virginia Tech College of Engineering (https://enge.vt.edu/giving.html) or to Westminster Presbyterian Church Nashville Legacy Fund (https://nashvillewpc.church/giving-2/legacy-fund/).