Robert W. Davis, Jr. (Bob), passed away suddenly on February 2, 2023 from a pulmonary embolism at St. Mary’s Hospital, St. Mary’s County, MD. Annette and family were with him. He was 92 years old.

He was born to Pauline and Robert Davis in Chester, PA, on October 16, 1930. There his father worked for Ford Motor Co. Because of the Depression, his family moved soon after to Little Creek, DE, his family’s home state. His father then owned and was captain of a charter sport fishing boat and his mother cooked for and ran their restaurant. As a boy, Bob explored the marshes, fished, and trapped muskrats with his grandfather and cousins. He attended a one-room school. When World War II gas rationing suspended recreational boating, his father, mother, older sister (Betty) and he moved to Wilmington, DE, where his parents became Superintendents of the Masonic Home of Delaware. The family lived on the grounds of the Home.

He graduated from Alexis I. Du Pont Public High School in 1948. He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering with honors and ROTC from the University of Delaware in 1952. He then joined the Army Artillery as a Second Lieutenant. He was sent to supervise the installation of Nike Defense Missile sites around the perimeter of Washington, DC, then to lead Army artillery cannon defense practice sites on the Delaware Coast. He then was sent to Desert Rock, NV, to observe experimental shots fired from the Atomic Cannon.

After leaving the Army as a First Lieutenant, he entered the Stanford Graduate School of Business in CA. There he met Annette Dyer, also a student at Stanford. While there, they climbed Mt. Whitney, the continental US’s highest mountain, in 1955 with other Stanford friends, leaving from Lone Pine, CA, her father’s home. In June 1956 they received their Master’s Degrees from Stanford on Sunday afternoon and married that Monday morning. After the wedding breakfast with family and friends from Delaware and Southern California, they left on their honeymoon trip to Minneapolis, MN, for Bob’s new job with Minneapolis Honeywell, and Annette’s new job as a teacher. Their first son was born there.

Bob then went to work for Bechtel Corp. in San Francisco and then was transferred to Huntington Beach, CA. He was Project Manager on the first gas-fired steam power plant. Their second son was born in Newport Beach, CA. There, Bob went to work for Ford Motor Company’s aerospace division, Aeronutronic. After several years, Philco-Ford sent him to Washington, DC, to work in their Legislative Affairs Office handling aerospace and defense affairs with Congress. He represented Ford at the Farnborough and Paris Air Shows for a decade. He observed several Apollo Moon shots in Florida. Their last two children were born when they lived in Alexandria, VA. The family finally settled in Bethesda, MD, where their children all graduated from Walt Whitman High School.

Bob enjoyed hunting and fishing, which brought the family to Lusby, MD. He enjoyed his boat and entertaining his family on the water. More recently, he also carved and painted decorative decoys and enjoyed the fellowship at Solomons Island Yacht Club.

Bob is survived by his wife Annette and his four children: Robert W. Davis III (wife Mary), Todd Davis, Brett Davis (wife Janice), and Deborah Davis Lindsley (husband Chris). They have seven grandchildren: Stephanie Davis (husband Sam), Robert W. Davis IV, Zachary Davis, Alexandra Davis, Brittany Davis (fiancé Thomas), Graham Lindsley, Olivia Lindsley, and many nieces and nephews.

Bob’s family celebrates and honors him for his years of wise and loving support, steady guidance and dedication to his family. Bob and Annette are most grateful for their marriage of 67 years and the love and support of their family and wonderful friends.

A public service is not planned at this time. If you desire to send a memorial in Bob’s name, the family suggest the American Chestnut Land Trust. PO Box 2363, Prince Frederick, MD 20678 or http://acltweb.org , 410-414-3400.