- Date Of Birth: May 1, 1926
- Date Of Death: July 3, 2012
- State: Illinois
Dr. Robert Lee “Bob” Davis, 86, of Jacksonville, IL died Tuesday, July 3, 2012, at Heritage Health in Jacksonville.
He was born May 1, 1926 in Morgan County, IL; the son of Alfred and Helen Craig Davis. He married Edith “Edie” Corrao on August 14, 1948 in Oconomowoc, WI and she preceded him in death on December 4, 2009.
He is survived by a son, Eric Davis (wife, Susan) of Topeka, KS; three granddaughters, Alison Davis, Erica Davis, and Carolyn Hurd (husband, Shawn), all of Topeka, KS; three great grandsons, Sean, William, and Nicholas Davis; a brother, William “Bill” Davis (wife, Jean) of Louisville, KY; two nieces; and two nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and a daughter, Leigh Anne Holloway in 1989.
Dr. Davis attended Illinois College and received his BA degree from the University of Louisville. He later received his DDS degree from St. Louis University School of Dentistry. After teaching a year at Murrayville School for District 117, Bob began a 45+ year career in the private practice of dentistry in Jacksonville. He also served as staff dentist for the Illinois Braille and Sight Saving School and Passavant Area Hospital. He served on the Passavant Hospital Tissue Committee, acted as a consultant for Meline’s and Modern Care Nursing Centers, and was a chairman of Illinois Department of Public Aid Peer Review and Quality Assurance Committee. In addition, he authored many articles for professional journals and was a featured speaker for many seminars. He was named a Fellow in the Academy of General Dentistry and maintained memberships in the American and Illinois Dental Associations, the G.V. Black Dental Society and Academy of National Guard Dentistry. He was a past president of the Morgan County Dental Society.
Bob began his extensive military career with service in the US Navy from 1943-46, transferring into the naval reserves to serve from 1946 until 1950 at which time he entered the US Army Dental Student Program. He utilized his dental skills in the military over many years, serving as a 1st Lt. with the US Army in Korea and Japan from 1951-53 and later as a Lt. Colonel with the Illinois Air National Guard from 1959 until his retirement in 1986. He was also called to active duty with the US Air Force during the Berlin Crisis in 1961-62.
As an active community volunteer, Dr. Davis was a founding member of the Morgan County United Fund, now known as the Prairieland United Way. He served as scoutmaster for Boy Scout Troop 111 for 8 years. He was a former chairman of Morgan County Red Cross, past president of the Literary Union, and past president and board member of the Morgan County Health Department. He was also a member of the Congregational Church UCC in Jacksonville.
