George Washington Davis

George Washington Davis was born February 24, 1932 to Vonda and Lyndol Griffis Davis in Lewisburg, Tennessee. He had one brother, Elyon Holly Davis, who gave George his name because George was born two days after the bicentennial of the birth of George Washington.

George went to Morgan Prep School for Boys in Petersburg, Tennessee and then attended David Lipscomb College until he transferred to Vanderbilt University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. He was drafted during the Korean War and served 2 years in the Army in Arizona, San Francisco, and Washington state before being honorably discharged. George returned to Vanderbilt to take graduate level courses in chemistry, and there he met his future wife, Jo Ann Faulkner. They married on February 22, 1958 and were husband and wife for 62 years until Jo Ann’s death.

George accepted an offer to work as an analytical chemist for Shell. Early in their marriage George and Jo Ann moved often for George’s job, living in Nashville, New Orleans, Berkeley, California, New Jersey, and Kinston, North Carolina before getting an opportunity to return to Nashville to work as a chemist for DuPont. They loved living in Nashville while raising their children. They moved to Chattanooga for George’s job in 1987 after their children had completed their schooling. Following his retirement from DuPont, George traveled as a consultant to aid in opening DuPont plants in Taiwan and China. In his spare time George enjoyed creating things with his hands, including leatherwork, painting, and especially woodworking.

Jo Ann and George were blessed with two children, Greg (Sue) Davis and Jody (Chuck) Clevenger. They also deeply loved and were proud of their five grandchildren: Claire and Camille Davis and John (Stephanie), Julie, and Charlie Clevenger. They also loved their nieces and nephews on both the Davis and Faulkner sides. George delighted in knowing that his first great-grandchild will arrive in a few months.

Jo Ann and George were beloved members of Clear Creek Church of Christ in Hixson, Tennessee.

The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Vanderbilt University Department of Chemistry (https://giving.vanderbilt.edu/ways-to-give/) or any charity of your choice.

A visitation for George will be held Thursday, October 2, 2025 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM at Chattanooga Funeral Home-North Chapel, 5401 Highway 153, P.O. Box 9, Hixson, TN 37343. A funeral service will occur Thursday, October 2, 2025 at 1:00 PM. A committal will occur at Hamilton Memorial Gardens, 5351 Highway 153, Hixson, TN 37343.

Arrangements are by the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory and Florist, 5401 Highway 153 Hixson. Please share your thoughts and memories at www.chattanooganorthchapel.com