Arthur Gene (Art) Davis, age 87, died peacefully in his sleep on Monday, November 29, 2021, at Saint Francis South, a caring and loving hospital in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He was born January 25, 1934 in Claremore, Oklahoma to Othal Arthur and Inez Marie (Epps) Davis and was the youngest of two children.
Art was joined in marriage to his college sweetheart, Mary Catherine (MC) Davis, for 61 years before her death in January of 2018. From their union, they had a daughter, Shannan, and a son, Jonathan.
Art was a Broken Arrow High School Alumnus, graduating in 1952, he was all Conference in Football, all State in Baseball, Student Body President and a two-year captain in football. In 1999 he was inducted into the Broken Arrow High School Athletic Hall of Fame. He was a walk-on at The University of Tulsa, earning a full football scholarship. He was the first sophomore to earn the President’s award in football and was the team co-captain for two consecutive years. He graduated in 1956 with a BA in Education. He was a high school math teacher and football coach. In 1967, he got his first head football coaching job at Barstow High School in Barstow, California. His 1969 football team won the Golden League Championship and went on to win the CIF AA Southern Section Championship with a 12 – 0 undefeated season. Over the years, he coached 1000’s of young men. To his players, he was an inspiration. Coach Davis held them to the highest standards, and they did not want to let him down. He changed the course of many young men’s lives for the better.
After retiring from teaching for 41 years, he spent another 13 years coaching junior high school football at Union Junior High School, in Tulsa, Oklahoma; and during that same time, with his son, he coached his grandson’s football team from first through seventh grade. He finally retired from coaching football in 2011. As an avid sports fan and doting grandparent, he enjoyed going to all his grandchildren’s sporting events. He traveled to the West Coast and to Hawaii. He traveled to the East Coast and cities-in-between to see his daughter and grandson, wherever they were living. He was a master craftsman and enjoyed spending hours working on his many woodworking projects in his shop.
Art is survived by his daughter, Shannan, and grandson, Tristan, of Sapulpa, his son Jonathan, daughter-in-law Angela, granddaughter Jordan and grandsons Antonio and Alex of Broken Arrow. He is also survived by his niece Melva Jean and her husband Bob Hawkins, his grandnephews Eric and David Brown and his nephew and niece Larry and Pam Davis and grandnephew Jason Davis all of Tulsa.
Art is preceded in death by his parents and brother, Melvin Ray Davis.
A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, December 22, 2021 at 10:00 am at the First United Methodist Church, 1401 East Taft Avenue, Sapulpa, Oklahoma with the Senior Pastor, Dr. Allen Schneider officiating.
The Davis family would like to extend our gratitude to all the staff at the Saint Francis South Hospital for their attentiveness and loving care.
In leu of flowers donations may be made in Art’s name to the Alzheimer’s Disease Research or the Clarehouse (clarehouse.org) of Tulsa
