Robert "Bob" Bruce Davison

Robert (Bob) Davison, born in Buffalo, New York, told everyone he had a great life. And he did. Bob was a delightful combination of Ward Cleaver and Cary Grant. He was wise and unflappable, dapper and charming, with a charismatic personality and a radio-announcer voice. Born in 1920, he grew up and served in World War II stationed in Alaska. Bob was then hired by the Federal Aviation Administration where he climbed the corporate ladder all the way to Chief of the Air Traffic Division in Kansas City. He had a big office and a bigger personality. After meeting Margie McGinnis during their time working at the FAA, he married her in 1973 and they had five children between them. They toured the world seeing Spain, Switzerland, China and Germany among other countless adventures. He rode an elephant in Thailand and boated through the Everglades. They moved to Sanibel Island, Florida, in 1983 where Bob served on the Planning Commission and the Water Board. Ultimately, Bob was a member of the City Council from 1994-98 and was elected Mayor from 1996-97.

Bob flew airplanes and loved a good martini. But by far, Bob loved golf. He taught himself to play golf while looking in the glass of the backyard door – fine tuning his swing every day. He wore classic, colorful, golfing attire which made his kids laugh. He played the game every chance he could. He also watched golf on TV, talked about golf and dreamed about golf. His favorite pastime in retirement was golf at the Dunes Country Club on Sanibel Island. He was a scratch golfer and participated in the US Open tryouts countless times. His yellow pants and many Lacoste polo shirts smelled of Aramis and True brand cigarettes. A good day was a day at the golf course.

Bob celebrated his 100th birthday among his family and friends and reminded us that he wished he could play another round of golf. He said, with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye, “I’d like to do that again.” His love for his wife was deep and enduring. She couldn’t be out of his sight for long before you’d hear him call out, “where’s Margie?”

Bob came to faith later in life and grew to love Jesus. He attended McGregor Baptist Church in Ft. Myers, Florida, and was a regular Sunday school member for twenty years. His friends from that church became his best friends and he missed them when he relocated back to KC a few years ago to be close to family.

Bob will be remembered at a funeral service at McGilley Antioch Chapel on February 27th at 10:00 a.m. His funeral will be streamed live if you’d like to join us. It will be a great celebration of his life and remembrance of what a treasure he was to all of us. Burial will follow the services in East Slope Cemetery.

Bob is survived by his wife, Margie Davison; and his children (not in order of his favorites): Sue Glebe, Bruce Davison, Trish Nelson, Liz Gunnigle and Dan Morrow. He had too many grandkids to list, but his legacy will live on for generations and the stories will grow from epic to legendary.

If you’d like to send donations in his name, please do so to: McGregor Baptist Church, 3750 Colonial Boulevard, Fort Myers, FL 33966.