Bobby Davis
Bobby Davis
Bobby Davis
Bobby Davis

Obituary of Bobby Frank Davis

Bobby Frank Davis, 92, of Charlotte, passed away Wednesday, February 24, 2021. Born November 8, 1928 in Gastonia, North Carolina, he was the son of the late Columbus Gifford and Era Ethyl Wilson Davis. His large family included sisters Verdelle and Marie and the baseball playing Davis brothers: “Hut,” “Crash,” and “Toad.” Bobby’s Gastonia American Legion team won the NC State championship. He played on the divisional team at Fort Jackson when he served in the U.S. Army and then was a semi-professional baseball player in North Carolina. Throughout his life, Bobby enjoyed sports of all kinds. He was a scratch golfer and champion bowler.

Gregarious by nature, Bobby was ever engaging and always kind.  This made him a natural for a career in retail with Belk’s Department Stores that spanned more than 30 years.  He managed the store in downtown Belmont for many years.  Renowned throughout the company for his management skill, keen eye for merchandising, superior customer service and consistent profitability, several Belk family members began their tenure under his tutelage.  

In 1954, Bobby married “the most beautiful woman he had ever seen,” Mary Murray.  The two of them built a life of faith and joy.  Together with family and friends, they founded St. John's Methodist Church, now Myers Memorial Methodist Church, in Gastonia where Bobby was a member of the choir. They welcomed their only child, Melanie in 1960.  Bobby and Mary devoted their retirement years to helping care for their two grandchildren, Aly and Clark.  Nothing brought them more joy than sharing time and celebrating grandchildren’s accomplishments.

With neighborhood friends, they bought a condo in Garden City which became a favorite gathering spot for the family.  Body surfing, fishing, sandcastles, and no-holds-barred croquet filled the days.   On one of his last trips with his daughter, Melanie, they shared the beauty of a full solar eclipse.

In 2003, Bobby and Mary moved to The Cypress Club in Charlotte to be near family and enjoy retirement with the many friends they would make. Bobby and Mary loved the natural beauty of the outdoors.  They added frequent trips to the North Carolina mountains to their itinerary and  Montreat became a favorite place of peace and restoration.  They also traveled farther afield, fulfilling lifetime dreams with expeditions to Alaska and the Grand Canyon.  

Bobby loved to sing and had a beautiful voice. He sang to his wife every day, even after she passed away. At the Cypress, he was a member of the Cypress Singers. Always a performer, he enjoyed leading Karaoke which earned him his theme song and stage name, the “Sixty-Minute Man.” That same hit song featured prominently in the movie “Bull Durham,” whose main character took brother Crash Davis’ name and place in the Bulls history. Family gathered to celebrate Crash Davis night at Bulls Stadium.  

Bobby never met a stranger and his deep humanity and care for others was irrepressible. He was loved by friends and staff at the Cypress. He was a faithful member of Selwyn Avenue Presbyterian Church. His extended family of nieces and nephews never missed a chance to be with Uncle Bobby, faithfully calling him to chat in his later years.  To be in relationship with Bobby Davis was to know love.

Bobby is survived by his loving daughter, Dr. Melanie Davis Spencer and her husband, Rev. Frank Clark Spencer, of Charlotte; granddaughter, Mary Alyce "Aly" Spencer and her husband, Brian Zakutansky, of New York; grandson, Frank "Clark" Spencer, Jr. and his wife, Jenifer Gobie, of Charlotte; great-grandchildren: Samuel Hudson, Emmett Franklin, and Serena Laura.

In addition to his parents, Bobby was preceded in death by his wife, Mary Elizabeth Davis; and his siblings: Lawrence Columbus "Crash" Davis, James Hudson "Hut" Davis, Albert Anderson "Toad" Davis, Era Verdelle Davis Waldron and Marie Helen Davis Blynt.

A virtual celebration of Bobby's life will be held at 1:00 pm, Saturday, March 20, 2021 at Selwyn Avenue Presbyterian Church, Details of the service and link will appear on the Church’s Facebook page: Selwyn Avenue Facebook.  A private ceremony will be held at the Memorial Garden in Montreat, North Carolina.

Gifts in lieu of Flowers may be made to Selwyn Avenue Presbyterian Church, Hospice and Palliative Care Charlotte Region, or Montreat Conference Center.

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