Louis McAlester Davis, 82, died Monday, Feb. 20 after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease. He was born the seventh of eight children to John Lawson and Nell Forester Davis of Statesville.
He was born in Statesville and graduated from Statesville High School. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point where he was a standout cross-country and track athlete. He served five years with the U.S. Army in Korea, Japan and Germany, retiring with the rank of major. After a year with Deering Milliken Service Corp, he joined Carolina Securities Corp in 1958. As an owner and director, he helped mold an investment firm where integrity, personal care, and a long-term approach were paramount. He was generous to pass those principles on to his son, Jim, in the 11 great years that they worked together before his retirement in 1994.
Lou was a very caring and kind soul, especially to those less fortunate. He gave generously of his time in that regard as president of the Association for Retarded Citizens, a member of Charlotte East Rotary Club, an elder at Trinity Presbyterian Church, and as a member of the Charlotte City Council l973-75.
Lou was an avid tennis player at Olde Providence Racquet Club. He spent many afternoons and weekends building lifelong friendships on the tennis courts. He could be found any sunny afternoon playing to exhaustion then retiring to the “porch” for a cold one. He absolutely loved exercise.
“Lou baby,” as he was known in the neighborhood, organized many Tom Sawyeresque work projects for the kids. The “hose man” or the “rake man” were coveted jobs. And at the end everyone had to “fall-in” for inspection.
Lou was a “man’s man.” His humor, gregariousness, deep friendship, generosity, kindness, and integrity made him the ultimate friend.
He insisted on being called “Spike” by his grandchildren since Louis was not ‘cool’ and granddad sounded too old. His role as Spike was by far his favorite, spending endless hours rocking & playing with all of his grandchildren. Always generous with his time, he was ever-present at every family gathering.
Lou is survived by his wife, Jane Rogers Davis; their son, James Lawson Davis, his wife, Lynn, and children, Leah, Eve and Vic; their daughter, Anne Davis Hamilton, her husband, Peyton, and their son, Mac , of Indian Land, SC; two sisters, Nell McCoy and Mary Craig, and one brother, George Davis.
He spent the last three years getting the best of care from the staff at the Carriage Club.
A service to celebrate his life will be held at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Charlotte at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, February 24th. There will be a reception immediately following the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the Michael J. Fox
Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, Church Street Station, P.O. Box 780, New York, N.Y. 10008-0780, Kindermourn of Charlotte, 1320 Harding Place, Charlotte, NC 28204, or Trinity Presbyterian Church 3115 Providence Rd. Charlotte, NC 28211.
Funeral arrangements being handled by J.B. Tallent Funeral Service.
