My task is done, my song hath ceased, my theme has died into an echo. . .it is fit. -Lord Byron

Lonnie Ray Davis was the 6th child born to Mary Ada (Conner) & Kirby Leonard Davis on January 16, 1951. He had 5 sisters (one who passed as a child) and 6 brothers (one who passed at birth). Both Ada & Leonard preceded Lonnie in death. Lonnie was known for his love of God, family, and music. His funeral was standing room only.

Lonnie grew up in Indiana, and developed a love of music as a young child. His mother, Ada, taught him the guitar chords, and he never stopped playing, becoming an amazing, fully self-taught lead guitarist & singer in numerous bands through the years. Lonnie also retired from General Motors after 33 years of employment.

Lonnie met the love of his life, Susan Yvonne Hatfield, at the age of 17. They married soon after, and would have celebrated their 50th year together this November (2018). Lonnie & Sue raised 2 sons and 1 daughter. When he passed, Lonnie was the grandfather of 8, and the great-grandfather of 2, with 1 on the way.

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His Life

My father didn't tell me how to live; he lived, and let me watch him do it. -Clarence B. Kelland

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Jeremey writes:

Most of you that visit this page will aready know the nuts-and-bolts of Lonnie's life, such as when he was born, where, etc. I would rather use this space to tell you about the man that I grew up with, how he shaped the person that I am today and how he chose to meet life head-on.

My Dad believed in work. We're talking about a man who put in 60+ hours per week at General Motors and also played music on Friday and Saturday nights. He did this routinely for years and years not just because he loved playing music but because he wasn't very good at being idle and thinking that there could be extra money out there that he could be making. That's not to say he only cared about money or he loved it, he was simply determined that his family would not want for anything the way he had as a child.

He grew up extremely poor and as good as my Grandma was at making things stretch further than they probably should, he and his brothers often had to share clothes, shoes, just about everything. His father had died when he was very young and that left Grandma to take care of a large number of children all by herself. I believe that at an early age, Dad decided that he was going to make it out of poverty and make sure that his family never had to go through that.

Dad was extremely frugal. He didn't spend money unwisely and he didn't buy himself anything he considered unnecessary or that wouldn't be put to good use. We kids were defintely not lavished with gifts and we weren't the type of children that just "got stuff" whenever we asked for it. There were two times of the year, however, where the sky was the limit and he made sure that we all had the time of our lives: Summer vacation and Christmas!

Most often our vacations were spent in Florida. We would usually spend 2 weeks there going to all the Disney parks, playing at the beaches, swimming, riding go-karts, you name it. We all had an absolute ball and Dad would have just as much fun as we kids did. He always had his trusty 35mm camera strapped around his neck so he could capture as many moments as possible for us to someday look back on fondly. We also spent vacations in Washington, D.C., seeing all the monuments and museums, Gatlinburg and other parts of Florida such as Clearwater. Pops loved traveling and I think he loved exposing his family to things we had never seen before.

Christmas time was definitely the highlight of the year and the thing we all looked forward to the most, including him! He totally lived for Christmas and I don't think anything brought him more joy in life than to give us kids and Mom the most amazing surprises year after year. We knew that we could pretty much ask for anything and you could count on the fact that it would be under that tree come Christmas morning. My sister, brother and I used to sleep in one room together on Christmas Eve and sometime around 6am Dad would burst through the door, flip the light on and start snapping pictures while doing his best impression of Santa and exclaiming, "Ho ho ho! Merrrrry Christmassss!". Sometimes I think he was more excited to see our faces when we got to the living room and saw all the presents than we were! And trust me, we were always dumbfounded and blown away by the haul!

Dad was also very much a believer in learning and accumulating knowledge. He had dropped out of high school at the age of 16 and in the early 1980's he went back to school and earned his diploma. He read all the time and taught himself tons and tons of different things. He would take almost every vocational class that GM offered, especially if it was a subject involving something he might want to do on his own later on. He was very generous with the things he knew and was always willing to teach anyone anything that they asked. He taught myself and my cousin, Curtiss, to play guitar when we were young teenagers and I can't tell you how many times I've called him as an adult to ask advice on how to go about fixing or improving something. Dad was never at a loss for ideas!

I sure do miss being able to pick up the phone and call him now to ask his advice. I'd love to ask him how to go on in a world without your Dad.

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Darlene writes:

My Dad was such an incredibly dynamic personality that I struggled to write a 'nutshell' version of him. He was complex, intense, and dedicated to everything and everyone in his life. He put his absolute all into everything he did. He was brilliant, always learning, and an incredibly creative problem-solver. His word MEANT something, he believed in working hard, he was deeply justice-oriented, and most importantly, he had integrity.

My Dad adored his mother. To him, family meant everything. He had no respect for fathers who abandoned their children, and he financially sponsored orphans across the world. He had the softest spot for any & all children, and dearly loved his role as Papaw.

Dad was charitable, generous, funny, and one of the most forgiving people I ever knew, but he was also a thinker and a realist. If you ever wanted something straight, with no filter, Dad was your guy. He was absolutely confident and comfortable with his value system. To him, nothing was ever gray. It was either right, or it was wrong.

My Dad had the best laugh, and he LIVED for getting a rise out of my Mom, whom he loved with his whole heart. Some of my fondest memories are of her chasing him through the house and him running & laughing the entire time. He especially loved their little home in the country, and really enjoyed feeding & watching the myriad of birds that passed through.

Dad & I debated a lot as I grew up. It was something we both enjoyed, and he taught me a great deal. My love for learning definitely came from him, as did my profound sense of right & wrong. One story I always like to tell about Dad is the time I physically described someone to him. Dad stopped me mid-sentence and said, "Now go back and describe him to me without telling me the color of his skin, because that means absolutely nothing." I never forgot that moment, and have proudly passed it down to my own children.

I would be a completely different person had I not had Lonnie Ray Davis as my father. He loved us all unconditionally. He taught me that money means nothing and fame is fleeting. He taught me that no one else's approval is necessary if we do the right things & can look ourselves in the mirror. The legacy we leave behind is in the children we raise, and how we (and they) treat others. Wealth and 'success' as defined here has no meaning whatsoever when we take our last breath. What matters is whether or not our being here made a positive difference in the lives of those around us, and my Dad's presence made an enormous difference in my life, which has made a difference in my sons' lives, which will make a difference in my grandchildren's lives, and so on. Therefore, my Dad's life here may be finished, but his legacy will never end.
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Photos

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His favorite charities

The life of a man consists not in seeing visions and in dreaming dreams, but in active charity and in willing service. -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Lonnie was a very private person when it came to financial dealings but I can tell you this: He was very charitable and he had a super soft heart for those less fortunate than himself.

Here is a short list of some of the charities that he gave to the most and truly believed in their mission. If you would like to donate to any of them in his name, then not only would you be helping those in need but you would be carrying on his legacy!

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Contact Us

If you would like to share a story or memory about Lonnie please feel free to use the form below and send it to us! We'll put it up on the site for others to see and we thank you in advance for helping us celebrate his life!

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