Jerry Raymond Davis Jr.

Jerry Raymond Davis Jr, age 74, died unexpectantly on July 4, 2023 from injuries sustained in a backhoe accident. Jerry was born in Baltimore, MD on January 26, 1949, the son of the late Jerry and Helen Davis. He grew up in Dundalk and Pasadena, MD. He graduated from Northeast High School, Pasadena, MD in 1968 where he was student council president and designed its facade lettering that still stands on the side of the building. Jerry graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1972 with a BS in Industrial Arts and was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. Upon graduation, he married his college sweetheart, Susan Wagenheim Davis (Sue) and this June, they celebrated 51 years of marriage. They resided in Havre de Grace, MD for 40 years in a house that Jerry built himself.

Jerry was an extremely creative soul and had many careers. He taught industrial arts at Joppatowne High School. He was an engineer on Penn Central Railroad then Conrail. He founded a pottery shop, Potters Mill, in Bel Air, MD where he hand threw pottery and taught pottery classes on wooden kick wheels that he built and a brick gas-fired kiln that he also built. With Sue, he started Baycraft Fiberglass Engineering (BFE), a fiberglass manufacturing company, that grew to 50 employees. BFE manufactured industrial fiberglass components, such as scuppers, bridge piling jackets, fan blades for wind turbines, a sunscreen for the Harbor Tunnel, architectural structures for buildings including the original B&O train station at Camden Yards in Baltimore, whimsical structures for Universal Studios in Orlando, concrete forms for DC Metro and the Smithsonian's S. Dillon Ripley Center and African Art Museum, car parts, and custom boats including Lightnings, Mobjacks, and a yacht.

Jerry had many hobbies during his lifetime and at various times enjoyed sailing, boating, camping, skiing, cycling, raising chickens in a custom coop he built, pursuing photography, developing his photos in a darkroom he built, and traveling with Sue on her worldwide adventures.

When Jerry retired, he moved to Tilghman Island, MD, a community he fell in love with. He said he lived in "the land of pleasant living!" He loved shucking oysters, steaming crabs, grilling rockfish and perch, and sautéing the world's best softshell crabs. Jerry was a brewmaster extraordinaire. He designed and built a brewing system and named his beer, "Lone Wolf." He grew hops to use in his beer and held many "big brew" parties to share his love and enthusiasm for beer brewing with his neighbors, friends and family. He spread the wealth by making a large brew system for a brewery in Ocean City, MD.

In "retirement" at Tilghman, Jerry continued to use his creativity to build steel structures, fiberglass tanks, repair boats, refinish furniture, fix motors, make and repair artistic lawn ornaments and any other project that came his way. He loved working with wood and made a grandfather's clock (while he was in high school) as well as a cedar chest, many dining room tables, book shelves, baby cradles, a desk, square back canoes, Adirondack chairs, and wall clocks. Even though he was retired, he worked every day doing the things he thoroughly enjoyed. He loved to solve problems and develop solutions to projects no one else could accomplish. "If you could think it, he could build it." Jerry pursued his interests with unbound vigor until his death.

In the 1970's Jerry was instrumental in enlarging the scope and size of the Bel Air Festival for the Arts and managed it for many years. In retirement, for several years, Jerry worked for the Talbot County Election Board as an election judge, and volunteered for the Tilghman Seafood Festival, Tilghman Day, St. Michaels Brew Festival and St. Michaels Wine Festival.

Jerry leaves behind his loving family: wife Sue, children Justin Davis and Andrea Davis-Cetina and husband Juan Carlos Cetina, brother Glenn Davis and wife Carol, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law Gary Wagenheim and Carolyn Egri, Sally and James Cezo, nephews Michael Davis, Jim Cezo and wife Katie, Jeff Cezo and wife Paige, Graham Collings and wife Leah, Eric Collings and wife Sarah, grandnieces Remi, Alex, Abigail, Evelyn, and grandnephew Josh.

As Jerry wished, his body was gifted to science. Everyone is invited to share their memories and attend Jerry's Celebration of Life being held on Sunday, August 20, 2023 at the Tilghman Island Fire Hall. Family will be receiving visitors at 1:00 pm with remembrance to begin at 1:30 pm and reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be given to Tilghman Island Volunteer Fire Department, 5979 Tilghman Island Rd, Tilghman, MD 21671 or Talbot Hospice, 586 Cynwood Drive, Easton, MD 21601.