Obituary of H.E. Davis

H.E. "Ted" Davis, Jr. of Raleigh died Monday, Jan. 24, 2012, following several years of declining health. He was 83.

He was born in 1928, the son of a traveling cotton merchant who met and married a blue-eyed bank teller from Raleigh. Ted was Ruby and H.E. Davis Sr.'s only child. As a youngster, he listened on the radio to the exploits of American servicemen and women fighting in World War II, and dreamed of joining the ranks of America's military. He did just that while attending classes at the University of North Carolina, enrolling in the U.S. Navy's reserve officer training program. He graduated from UNC in 1952 and went to sea. In time, the young Ensign would rise to the rank of Captain in the Naval Reserve.

Ted worked 20 years as a public information officer for the state Employment Security Commission. In the early and mid-196 0s, he coached Little League baseball, single-handedly desegregating the sport in south Raleigh when he actively recruited African-American boys to play at Carolina Pines. As coach, he taught racial tolerance as well as the sublime beauty of the squeeze play at home plate. He excelled at both.

Following his retirement from the state, Ted built and sold houses. He also bought a 35-foot sailboat that he kept docked on the Neuse River near New Bern. Over the years, he rebuilt just about every wooden piece on that vessel.

In his later years, Ted moved to a home on the Neuse River. His back yard looked across 3 miles of water. He loved sitting in a chair and scanning the opposite shore, watching the ferry cross at Minnesott. Ted, like that ferry, has made a crossing, too.

A Funeral service will be held 12:00 Noon, Friday, January 27, 2012 at Montlawn Memorial Park in Raleigh. Burial will follow at Montlawn Memorial Park.

Survivors include his sons, Keith Davis (wife Susan) of Charlotte and Mark Davis (Sylvia) of Atlanta; three grandsons; one granddaughter; two great-grandchildren; and his former wife and friend, Marguerite Davis of Raleigh. He's also survived by his longtime companion, Martha Tola and her family of Raleigh. Martha sat by his side daily in his final days.

Arrangements are by Montlawn Funeral Home, 2911 S. Wilmington St., Raleigh, N.C. Condolences may be made at www.montlawn.com