William Davis
William Henry Davis, Sr., 71, known as “Lil Bill" and "Bull Dog” died on Tuesday, February 10, 2015.
He was born Aug. 12, 1943, to the late Adam and Viola Davis and raised in Bethel AME Church.
He was a 1964 graduate of Howard High School, attended Southern University in Baton Rouge, LA and Knoxville College. He retired from Alstom Powers (Combustion Engineering) after 31 years of service.
He was a founding member of the Racquetiers Tennis Club and a member of the Hustling Tigers Football Team (1960 – 64).
He was preceded in death by his parents, Adam and Viola Davis; brothers, Lawrence (Lillie) Askew, Ronnie (Brenda) Davis; sisters, Mary Helen Whatley and Mary Ann Davis.
Bill will be greatly missed by his family and is survived by his wife, Charlesett Underwood Davis; son, William (Claudette) Davis, Jr., of Ripley, TN; granddaughter, Alexis Davis of Brooklyn, NY; great-grandson, DeAndre Davis of Fort Gordon, GA; brother, Bishop James A. Davis, West Palm Beach, FL; sister, Shirley B. Higgins, Athens, AL; brothers-in-law, Jimmy Whatley, Chattanooga; Charles (Patricia) Underwood, Athens, GA; sisters-in-law, Brenda J. Lucas, Huntsville, AL; Patricia Underwood-Williams, Chattanooga, TN; a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and beloved friends.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 17, in the Chapel with Reverend Thomas M. Walker officiating. Interment will be in Lakewood Memory Gardens – East.
The body will lie in state after noon on Monday, Feb. 16, at John P. Franklin Funeral Home, 1101 Dodds Ave., 622-9995.