William Andrew (Bill) Davis was born April 6, 1933 in Itasca, Texas, and died peacefully on March 23, 2020 surrounded by his daughters. Alma, his wife of 61 years preceded him in death. He is survived by his daughters Iris Davis, Ann Bartnik and Andrea Wilson, and their respective spouses Jon Deckard, Peter Bartnik and Jeff Lobaugh, as well as six grandchildren: Andrew, Will and Meg Bartnik, Jake and Zoe Wilson, and Coby Lobaugh. He is also survived by Ronnie Wilson, who was like a son to him. Longtime caregiver Modou Kujabe became a close friend during the later years of his life. The eldest of 3 sons born to Otis and Iris Davis, he leaves behind his brothers, Paul and Jean Davis and their spouses Marianne Davis and Cathy Blotter and his nephew Cory Davis.
After growing up in Corpus Christi, Daddy attended Del Mar College and Texas A&I University before doing a 3-year stint in the Army. He and Mom moved to Austin in the late 1950’s where he completed his studies at The University of Texas, graduating in 1961 with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. Trained as an engineer, he spent his life figuring out how things worked. We joked if you asked him what time it was, he’d tell you how to build a clock. He moved his growing young family all over Texas (and briefly to California) and then settled us in Tyler just in time to see the first man walk on the moon. He worked for Howe-Baker Engineering Co. for many years before starting his own small engineering firm. He finished his career in Houston, where he worked on international projects for an Oil & Gas company.
Daddy traveled extensively for work throughout his career. As kids we were so excited when he came home from a business trip because he had all kinds of exotic gifts for us. We always had the coolest stuff for “show and tell.” He made friends everywhere he traveled. Even though he would never be considered a social animal, he had a knack for talking to strangers. He had a file labeled “Indian Friends” in his filing cabinet from his travels in India. After moving back to Tyler when he retired, he enjoyed his free time working in his shop behind the house. Daddy loved sailing, books, woodworking and reading about Texas history.
A private family gathering will be held Wednesday at 11:00 AM at Tyler Memorial Cemetery.
The family would like to thank the Prestige Estates staff and Choice Hospice for their compassionate care over the past two years. In lieu of flowers we know that Daddy would prefer donations to PATH (www.pathhelps.org) 402 W. Front St., Tyler TX 75702.
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