In loving memory of
Bruce P. Davis

• February 22, 1931
• -
• November 02, 2017

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Bruce P. Davis

February 22, 1931 – November 2, 2017

Loving husband, awesome father, wonderful poppa and NCAA Fencing Champion Bruce P. Davis, age 86, passed peacefully into the waiting arms of Jesus on November 2, 2017.

Bruce is survived by his wife of 58 years, Ruth (nee: Smith); his children, Holly (Chris) Bowne, Mark (Bonnie) Davis, Taia (David) Schreiner, and Tony Davis; his grandchildren, Monique, DeAnna, Ashleigh, Joshua, Spencer, Emily, Abigail, Kaci, Valerie and Andrew. Bruce was preceded in death by his parents, Arlie and Frank Davis, his two brothers, Donald and Richard Davis.

Bruce was born on February 22, 1931 in Detroit, Michigan. He served in the U.S. Army, and was honorably discharged at the rank of Captain in 1968. He graduated from Cass Technical High School where he majored in Aeronautics. Bruce earned a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Wayne State University and a master’s degree in Public Health from the University of Michigan. Bruce spent his career working for the Wayne County Public Health Department.

Bruce was an active, humble and incredibly gifted man. He loved dogs and spending time in nature, and he was passionate about learning new things. Over the course of his life he became an Advanced Class amateur radio (ham radio) operator, guitarist, recorder player, sailor, watercolor artist, ballroom dancer, martial artist, woodworker and above all, a fencer.

Bruce was a three-year fencing letterman at Wayne State University (WSU) from 1957-1959. He was the individual NCAA foil champion in both 1957 and 1958, tying the current world record for successive NCAA individual foil championships. In 1959, he became the Presidents Athletic Conference foil champion and was nominated to the U.S. Olympic Squad. Today he is an honored member of WSU’s Athletic Hall of Fame. Bruce maintained his passion for fencing all his life, continuing to teach and coach until he was 82 years old.

In addition, Bruce was a talented, self-taught chip carver. His artistic woodworking skills were on display at craft shows across the state of Michigan and in the Ella Sharp Museum in Jackson, Michigan. His beautiful one-of-a-kind pieces can be found in the homes of nearly every family member and close friend who knew him.

Bruce’s kind heart, twinkling eyes and lively sense of humor will be greatly missed, along with his passionate love of all things sweet (a trait he successfully passed down to his children and grandchildren). With Bruce’s passing, Breyers® will most likely notice a significant dip in their French vanilla ice cream sales, as will Sanders with their hot fudge and chocolate-covered nuts.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Cornerstone Hospice & Palliative Care. We offer special thanks to the Cornerstone staff for all the loving care Bruce received.

“The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” ~ Proverbs 16:9