James "Jimi" L. Davis, Jr.

James L. Davis, Jr., known to all as Jimi (J-I-M-I like Jimi Hendrix, he would say) left this world on June 17, 2026, at home in the house his father built with love and pride, family nearby. He was 70.

Jimi was born at West End Baptist Hospital (later renamed Princeton) on October 2, 1955, the second child of James L. “Jay” Davis and Jean Grafton Davis. As a child he revealed himself as a lefty, then a pitcher and later a mechanic.

Seven-year-old Jimi began his baseball career at Lowery Park in secret. An older neighborhood boy produced this kid who played with his youngest brother and had a pretty good arm when a team desperate for another player to avoid a forfeit put out the call. (Things like that happened in the early 1960s.) But secrets don’t keep well and soon Jay Davis was at the ballpark to see just what was going on. He left the ballpark an assistant coach, soon to be coach and the neighborhood park became an integral part of family life until about the time Jimi left for the University of Montevallo on a baseball scholarship. Jimi possessed a smooth left-handed delivery of a ball that danced across the plate with sneaky speed. He annually made the All Star team in park ball, was a starting pitcher for his West End High School team and American Legion teams, even played a bit of semi-pro ball. He played other sports, but baseball was his identity. His all-time favorite catcher was younger brother Joey and stories of their near-telepathic communication on the diamond made the battery of Davis brothers difficult to beat.

Another love the Davis brothers shared was stock car racing and they spent time on the pit crew of another pair of brothers from the old neighborhood, Burt and Roger Belter. It wasn’t a long period of time but yielded a trove of stories, burnished over the years.

It was his professional journey as a mechanic that brought Jimi to Homewood where his heart truly resided even after relocating to Blount County in 2021 for health reasons. He worked for the City of Homewood in fleet maintenance for over 30 years, first as an automotive technician and later a supervisor. He was an ASE certified technician with tremendous experience in heavy equipment repair. Be it firetruck, garbage truck, or police cruiser, if it had wheels and an engine and the city needed it to run, he worked to make it happen. He was deeply dedicated and always on duty for all emergencies. He read the minutes of Homewood council meetings for fun.

Like his fast ball, Jimi’s wit was sneaky and quick. He was independent and stubborn, loyal and devoted. He is remembered for his big heart, supporting many causes, keeping rattletraps running for many, helping however he could help. He is loved and missed by more people than he would ever realize.

Jimi was predeceased by and now reunited with his parents, James L. and Jean G. Davis and brother, Joseph Paul “Joey” Davis. He leaves behind sister, Laura Davis Taylor, brother-in-law, Mike Taylor, sister-in-law, Cathy Shill Davis, nieces Jami Heaton (Jason), Jennifer Davis, Caitlin Taylor (Lee) and nephew, Jacob Taylor (Cassie) along with four great-nieces, three great-nephews and an extended family of cousins and “work family”.

The family would like to thank Alabama Oncology, ACG Hospice and a host of others—from dedicated and caring nurses, doctors, and valet drivers to family, friends, and compassionate strangers--who played a huge role in getting us through these last five years.

A celebration of life and remembrance will be held at Ridout’s Valley Chapel in Homewood on July 7, 2026, from 4-6 pm.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial contribution to pancreatic cancer research (e.g., pancan.org or www.lustgarten.org) or another helping nonprofit such as Feeding America.

Services are under the direction of Ridout's Valley Chapel (205-879-3401) inHomewood.