Tommy Davis
Rev. Dr. Tommy L. Davis went to be with the Lord on Thursday, April 8, 2021.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Linda Davis.
He is survived by two sons, Charlie Davis and Danny Davis (Natalie), two grandchildren, Miller Davis and Amanda Jones (Casey) and one great-grandchild, Bear Jones.
The family will receive visitors at Hamilton Funeral Home at 4506 Hixson Pike on Monday, April 19, from 4-8 p.m. and Tuesday, April 20, from 11 a.m.-1 p.m., with a service to follow.
True to form, Dad wrote his own obituary. Some other highlights follow:
I, Thomas Leota Davis, trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior at the early age of eight, nine, or ten. My parents, William Fred Davis, a barber for about sixty years, and Ella May Davis, who stayed home and took care of us kids, had no formal education, but had plenty of common sense to make up for the lack of formal training. I suppose one of their greatest assets was that they loved each other very much, and loved and took care of us kids to the best of their abilities. The best that I remember, we never went without food or clothing, or without shelter or love. The best of these was love. I attended Cedar Hill Baptist Church and was saved during a revival meeting, not knowing what the Lord had in store for me. I was a skinny, snot-nosed, red-headed, freckle-faced, barefoot boy from a place called Black Bottom. I know now, as I look back over the sixty-plus years, that He guided, led, and put me in His service as He saw fit. I did not have too much of a choice, but to be willing to do and go where the Spirit was directing me to follow.
When I got into East Lake Junior High School, all of my friends were attending East Lake Baptist Church, where I moved my membership and, later in 1953, became ordained into the gospel ministry. I think that I knew from the very beginning of being saved that I was set aside for His service. I did not always obey and seek His guidance through the formative(spiritual) years, but He watched over me and protected me so that I could be used in His service.
Charles Gray and I went to work at DuPont in the summer of 1951, after graduating from Chattanooga High School, and he from Central. This is another time that the Lord just put two born-again Christians together to serve Him and do His bidding. We quit DuPont to attend college at Tennessee Temple in 1951. We were there for one semester and were called, led, guided by the Holy Spirit to transfer to Campbellsville Junior College in Campbellsville, Kentucky. This is where George Gray, Charles’ brother attended school. To show you how the Lord works, the very first weekend we were at Campbellsville, we were invited to attend a youth revival, singing in the Baptist student union choir. From that point on, we sang, preached, and enjoyed the fellowship of the Lord. We saw, over the years, in revival meetings throughout Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, Georgia, and West Virginia, young people and adults alike came to know Christ as their own personal Savior through the ministry that the Lord set us apart to do.
After spending one and a half years at Campbellsville College, Charles Gray and I were called to Louisa Baptist in Louisa, Kentucky after a summer of evangelistic meetings in the aforementioned states. He was called as a pastor, and myself as a minister of music and youth. The Lord sent a harvest of souls and many were blessed through that ministry.
I was married in 1955, and we had a son named Charles Thomas Davis on Christmas Day of 1955. We were married for thirteen years, and after that time, we went our separate ways. By this time, I was back in Chattanooga, Tennessee, ministering at various churches. Hickory Valley Baptist, Kings Point Baptist, Middle Valley Baptist, Central Baptist of Hixson, and Bayside Baptist, to name a few. After being in the music ministry for about fifty years, I resigned from this position. My last church was Signal Hills Baptist Church, where I got reacquainted with Dr. Dolphus Ray Warren, who encouraged me to get back into school after being out for forty years. I enrolled in Covington Seminary in 1997, received my bachelor’s degree in 1998, a Master’s in ministry degree in August of 1999, a Doctorate in Ministry in August of 2000, a Doctorate of Theology in 2001, and a Doctorate of Philosophy in Religion in 2002. I graduated with honors with the doctorate of ministry. I served as faculty advisor for the school for several years. During the second year, I was a teacher at the college every Tuesday night. The Lord continued to direct the path of that little, skinny, red-headed, freckle-faced boy He lifted from Black Bottom and put into the ministry of His service.
I was married to Linda Coppinger Davis for twenty-five years (now deceased). We had a son, Stephen Daniel Davis, who continues to be a blessing to me as I grow in His grace and knowledge.
I served as the chaplain of the Southern Belle Riverboat. I had a wedding ministry at the county jail, Silverdale Correctional Institute, and the South Eastern Correctional Institute in Pikeville, Tennessee. It was my privilege to have prayer and give these couples a Christ-centered wedding service to at least get them started knowing that Christ died for them and will save them from their sin. If they but call upon Him and ask forgiveness, they too will have eternal life in His presence to serve and worship Him. At the time of my passing, I was a member of Stuart Heights Baptist Church.
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Dad had two grandchildren, Amanda Jones and Miller Davis. He also has one great-grandchild, Aidan Bryant (Bear) Jones, who he got to see on several occasions. He loved his family very much and we just thought he doted on the grandkids until the great-grandson arrived.
Dr. Ray Warren was Dad’s self proclaimed BFF. They talked and texted almost every day for many years, and Dad cherished their friendship.
During his seventy (70) year ministry, Dad married nearly 19,000 couples in Hamilton County alone. That number does not include the years he spent at the Ringgold Wedding Chapel and all of the other counties in which he married folks. The total number will probably never be known.
Arrangements are by Hamilton Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 4506 Hixson Pike, Hixson, 423 531-3975.