Douglas Wayne Davis, 73, husband, father, and friend to many, passed away unexpectedly on September 15, 2020, in Brackettville, Texas. He was born August 16, 1947, in Del Rio, Texas, to W.C. and Anne Davis.
Doug will be lovingly remembered by his wife and best friend, Melissa, of 47 years and their children: Joaquin (Amy), Amanda (Mark), and Amber (Dale). Doug will always be fondly remembered by his 7 grandchildren: Maddie (Sackett), Kate, Kirstin, Madelyn, Jillian, Nate, and Adaline. Stories about the man that he was will be passed on to his grandchild that is due to arrive in March and to his great-grandson, Zane.
Doug lived in Brackettville, Texas, up until the 4th grade. After that, he and his family relocated to Del Rio, Texas. Doug graduated from Del Rio High School in 1965, and received two associate’s degrees: one from Southwest Texas Junior College in 1967 and another in Biblical Studies from the International School of Ministry in 2001. With the Vietnam War underway, Doug enlisted in the Army in 1968, and was in the Army Reserves until 1974. He dabbled in several careers until he found his niche – the cattle industry. He worked in all phases of feedlot operation. He began his feedlot career at Alta Verde in Quemado, Texas, in 1977, picking up rocks out of cattle pens, as well as riding pens and feeding cattle. He quickly worked his way up to being the feedmill manager of two lots and then operated the beef pack division. For 10 years, he worked in the Alta Verde feedyards, which gave him his vast experience. The facility consisted of two feed lots, which held a total of 70,000 cattle and also a packing plant. After accepting an assistant manager position at Hill Feed Lot in Hart, Texas, in 1985, he moved his family to Olton, Texas. Then, in 1987, he became the manager of Olton Feedyards where he oversaw 32 employees and 28,000 head of cattle. He went to work for 7X Cattle Company in 1989, where he managed three feedyards in Seminole, Texas, and Hobbs and Lovington, New Mexico. Wanting to get back to his South Texas roots, he started working remotely for 7X Cattle Company, marketing cattle out of Mexico in 1991. He was adamant that his family move to Brackettville, since he had so many fond childhood memories there. In 1992, Doug began working for Mr. Sterling C. Evans where he managed U-Bar Ranch.
Doug was a man of many talents. He was a self-taught musician and could play virtually any instrument by ear, with the bass guitar being his specialty. In the late 60’s through the early 70’s, he was in two different bands: Sonic Four and Border Beats. They could be heard on local radio stations and played for different venues around South Texas. As he grew older, he used his musical talent as a ministry. For many years, he was part of Living Water Fellowship’s worship team in Eagle Pass. In the early 2000’s, he and several of his buddies started jamming together. They formed a Christian band called Jericho and played in local churches in the area. Aside from music, Doug was a voracious reader, and he enjoyed the outdoors; he loved to hunt and fish. He became an avid golfer and playing golf with his buddies, at Fort Clark Springs Golf Club, became one of his favorite past-times.
Doug was an honorable man of faith who loved God and his family more than anything else. He was a faithful and loving husband, and he was genuinely interested in his children and grandchildren’s lives. He supported and encouraged them in their many activities and endeavors. He was their biggest fan. Doug was also a prayer warrior; he prayed simple yet powerful prayers that lifted his family’s faith during trying times. He was so thankful for his blessings and was quick to give God the honor and glory for it all. Throughout his life, Doug brought stability, strength, and humor to his family. He always had such a great attitude and was continually making his family laugh. His knee-slapping laughter was contagious. But above all, Doug changed the lives of generations to come because of his choice to surrender his life to the Lord; he made sure that his household was one that followed and served Jesus.
To honor and celebrate Doug’s life, a graveside service will be held on Friday, September 18, at 11:00 a.m., at the Kinney County Cemetery in Brackettville, Texas. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Kinney County EMS (Kinney County EMS, PO Box 1499, Brackettville, Texas, 78832).