James "Jed" Edwin Davis III

James Edwin Davis, III -- Jed Davis was blessed to be known as a restaurateur, aspiring rancher, and avid waterman. Jed unexpectedly passed away, after a day filled with doing what he loved, on Saturday, April 30, 2011. He was 37 years old.

Jed was born in Mobile, Alabama on September 21, 1973, at Mobile Infirmary Hospital. He was raised in Mobile where he attended and graduated from McGill-Toolen where he was a proud member of the football team. After graduation, Jed chased his dreams and ambitions across the country and spent several years living in Montana where he refined his culinary skills in the shadows of the Bitterroot Mountains. Jed was formally trained and educated in the Culinary Arts at Johnson and Wales University in Charleston, South Carolina. Upon returning to Mobile, Jed was able to use his education and acumen to own and operate Downtowner’s Restaurant on Dauphin Street in historic downtown Mobile. During recent years, Jed followed in his family’s footsteps to become an active member of the Alabama Treasure Forest Association through which he received several certifications related to his efforts towards continuing his education in the proper management of the bountiful forest resources that he loved. Throughout his life his love of experiencing far and wild places led him to visit and explore Central America, The Rocky Mountain West, and most all of the notable surf breaks along the East Coast of the United States and Gulf of Mexico. He was a Charter Member of the Mauvilla Surf Club and was serving as the Vice President at the time of his passing. Jed’s unwavering devotion, faithfulness and caring towards his close-knit family will be forever missed and never replaced. He is preceded into the hereafter by his father, James E. “Smokey” Davis, Jr.; grandfather, James E. Davis, Sr.; and his maternal grandmother, Jane Quarles McArthur. He is survived by his mother, Donna McArthur Seifert (Frank) of Port St. Joe, Florida; paternal grandfather, James H. McArthur, of Mobile, Alabama; maternal grandmother, Norma Davis and uncle, Joseph A. Davis, both of Mauvilla, Alabama; uncles, Robert McArthur of Cocoa Beach, Florida and James McArthur, of Mobile, Alabama. He is also survived by his siblings and their spouses; Elizabeth and Jud Freeman of Mobile; Ashlye and Ray Hix of Loxley, Alabama; Danielle and Ladd Davis of Montgomery, Alabama; Radcliff Davis of Mobile, Alabama; Michael Seifert of Nashville, Tennessee; and his beloved nieces, Sara Elizabeth, Noel and Anne Freeman and nephew, Ward Hix. He is also survived by his closest friend of the past 25 years who he considered to be his brother, Jason Davis of Daphne, Alabama. Funeral services will be held from the chapel of Radney Funeral Home in Saraland on Tuesday, May 3, 2011, at 10:00 a.m. The family will receive friends on Tuesday morning from 9:00 a.m. until the time of the service at the funeral home. Interment will follow in Old Mauvilla Cemetery on Kali Oka Road. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the American Heart Association; 900 Western America Circle, Mobile, Alabama 36609, or, Alabama Treasure Forest Association, P.O. Box 189; Chinchulla, Alabama 36521. Condolences may be offered at www.radneyfuneralhome-saraland.com.