Obituary of John Edgar Davis, Jr.

John Edgar Davis, Jr. was born in Cripple Creek, Virginia to John Edgar Davis and Bertha Hale Davis. He attended Rural Retreat High School then Warren Wilson College in North Carolina and the College of the Ozarks in Arkansas. In 1964 he joined the U.S. Navy. John was a Vietnam Veteran who served 20 years in the Navy and reached the rank of Commander. He was deployed aboard aircraft carriers in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans as well as the Mediterranean Sea. He also served in Washington D.C., Norfolk, VA, and London, England. After retirement from the Navy, John taught history and government at Rural Retreat High School and George Wythe High School. He served on the Wythe County Board of Supervisors and as a commissioned lay pastor for Presbyterian churches in Abingdon Presbytery. John was preceded in death by his parents and his sister Frieda Horne. He is survived by his wife, Jane, his daughters Rebecca Roberts (Jim), Janette Brown (Mike), Elizabeth Laufenberg (Joe), his grandchildren Jessica Roberts, Andrew Roberts (Rachel), John Scott Roberts, Rachel Roberts, Ethan Brown (Mary), Mary Laufenberg, Tom Laufenberg, five great-grandchildren, and his sister Dreama Helton (Rusty). John often joked that he had “been a sailor, a teacher, a politician, and a preacher” and had loved every job he’d ever had. He will be deeply missed. Anchor of Hope and Galena Presbyterian Church will host a time for remembering and honoring John at Anchor of Hope Presbyterian Church in Max Meadows. Please feel free to drop in between 5:00 – 7:00 pm on Monday, April 14. There will be a family graveside service at the Southwest Veterans’ Cemetery in Dublin, Virginia at a later date. Donations in his memory may be made to Wythe Hospice of Southwest Virginia, 1155 N 4th St, Wytheville, VA 24382. Expressions of sympathy may be sent to the family at www.grubbfuneralhome.com Grubb Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.