John Ray Davis Jr.

John Ray Davis Jr., age 85, passed away Wednesday, June 11th, 2025, at the Veteran Hospital in Asheville, NC. He was born September 4th, 1939, to Jessie and John Ray Davis Sr.

He was preceded in death by both of his parents, his brother Grayson, and his in-laws Jack and Minnie Sue Boyd. He is survived by his wife Joyce Boyd Davis. He is also survived by two sons, Jeff and his wife Lori and Johnny and his wife Wendy, and his granddaughter Katie. He is also survived by his sister-in-law Pat Davis, two nieces, Sandy Freeman and Carol Davis, and many cousins.

John Ray served six years in the U.S. Army. He had many talents. He was an accomplished rock mason and home builder and spent 32 years as a long-distance truck driver, from which he retired in 2013. John Ray loved to play cards and enjoyed playing on Tuesday nights with a group of his buddies. John Ray had a wonderful personality. He was a cutup and showoff. He was a hard-working family man and always put his family first; he was the light of their world. John Ray attended Garden Creek Baptist Church, where he had many friends. He will be dearly missed by his family and friends and his four-legged friend “Buddy.”

The service will be held at Beam Funeral Home on Saturday, June 14th, 2025, with a visitation at 1:00 pm and a service starting at 2:00 pm. The service will be officiated by David Edwards. Burial will follow at Turkey Cove Baptist Church cemetery.

The family would also like to thank all the staff at the VA for their excellent care of Papaw.