R. Alex Davis

Rederick Alexander "Alex" Davis Jr. entered heaven on August 22, 2024. He was never known as Rederick, but as Alex, Alex Jr., R.A., or Colonel Davis. Born in Athens, Georgia on August 15, 1928, the third child of Lollie Dial Davis and Rederick Alexander Davis Sr., Alex Jr., he graduated from Athens High School in 1945. He attended University of Georgia for one year and then enlisted in the United States Army. Following his tour of duty, he attended Southern Technical College on the G.I. Bill. After graduation, Alex enlisted in the United States Air Force and attended flight school with future astronaut Buzz Aldrin. Lt. Davis flew the F-84 fighter plane in The Korean War with over 70 combat flights. Upon returning from Korea, Alex married Evelyn Faye Barry on December 6, 1953. The couple lived in Albany, Georgia, where Alex worked as a corporate pilot. R.A. joined the Georgia Air Guard and served in the Guard for over 20 years, becoming a full Colonel. R.A. began flying for Eastern Airlines and had a 31 year career in commercial aviation, where he made lifelong friends connected to the airlines. In 1960, he purchased a farm on Emmett Young Road and began building his dream home in Coweta County. In 1967, the Davis family moved from East Point to Newnan, Georgia, and lived in a barn for 1 year while their home was constructed. The new home Alex built was totally electric and supplied with three-phase power to accommodate Alex's welders, air compressors, and other equipment. As a State employee, Col. Davis was asked to be the State's pilot for Governor Carl Sanders from 1963-1967. Active in his community, Alex was a member of First United Methodist Church in downtown Newnan and a board member of The Heritage School, where he participated in a variety of activities. R.A.'s mandatory retirement from the airlines at the age of 60 began an adventurous time of life, including motor homes, airplanes, and new friendships. Alex loved a "good deal" and filled his back pasture with a random collection of cars, farming equipment, and other assorted materials. His "junk", included a 4360 engine from a C-124 military transport aircraft. Alex's vision was to plant a peach orchard and use the engine to keep frost from destroying the crop,(the engine still rests in the pasture) but the plan made sense to Alex. A consummate southern gentleman, Alex always had a smile on his face and a kind word on his lips. He loved his God, his family, and the beauty of the world. His friends were from all walks of life, including mechanics, loggers, truck drivers, bankers, and doctors. Alex will be remembered for his ability to pray in a strong voice, always giving thanks and asking to be a better child of God. He was preceded in death by his parents and two sisters, Florence Davis Culbertson and Ann Davis Wilkinson. Alex is survived by his wife of 71 years, Faye Barry Davis; son, Barry Alexander Davis Sr.(Allison); daughter, Donna Davis Dougherty(Matt); son, John Paul Davis(Angela); grandchildren, Carly Davis Winstead(Josh), Ashley Davis Boland(Jay), Matthew Paul Dougherty(Rachel), Barry Alexander Davis Jr.(Katelyn),Cameron Ann Berry(Frank), William Chandler Davis, Katherine Davis Blasio(Andrew), Caroline Davis Shutley(Michael), Laura Ashburn "Lollie" Davis; great grandchildren, Annie Glenn, Davis, Mary "Mae" Margaret, John Allen, Reeves, Jackson, Caroline, Isobel, Barry III, Daniel, Frank Jr., and Bobby; sister-in law, Ann Barry Daughtry and a host of nieces, nephews, and friends. A private family interment will be held Saturday, August 24, at Forest Lawn in Newnan, Georgia. A Memorial Service will be held on Sunday, August 25, 2024, at 2:00pm at Newnan First United Methodist Church with the Reverend Dr. Jim Ellison, niece, the Reverend Susanne Daughtry Fatigati, and the Reverend Andrew Chappell officiated, followed by a reception in The Parrish Hall. The family would like to express appreciation to Mindy Rowan, Suzanne Bryan, and Shawn Newson for their comfort and care. Matthew 7:7-8 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened." Condolences may be expressed to the family online at www.mckoon.com. McKoon Funeral Home & Crematory 770-253-4580

R. Alex Davis

August 15, 1928 - August 22, 2024