Bill (William James) Davies

“Preach the gospel at all times and when necessary use words”

Our hero, father, wind beneath our wings, coach, forever friend, man of few but wise words and eternal companion left his mission in mortality to embrace his anxiously waiting son, Jaman, on the day heaven had designated- Wednesday, May 19^th, after a short but brave and uncomplaining battle with pancreatic cancer. Words fail to share how deeply we will miss him.

Bill (William James) was the first-born of his good-to-the-core parents- Colleen and James Davies, born on June 17^th 1952. He was the pied piper of his fiercely loyal siblings: exploring in fields, tutoring, pitching for batting practice, chauffeuring and casting footprints of leadership that sometimes seemed impossible to fill.  The scenic backdrop for his childhood and teenage years was either a football field, gymnasium or baseball diamond. And always there- his family.

Billy, as he was called, was the student body president of his junior high, mastered the art of getting straight A’s with very little homework and was honored as the outstanding all-around athlete of Bountiful High. He played on the freshman basketball team at the University of Utah until the call to serve stirred strongly in his soul. He loved the German people and they loved him in return. On his bucket list was to return to Munich, which he was able to do twice (in a sports-related way, of course).

Bill wooed his BYU-attending Shelley, and began his own “always-there-family” in June of 1974 in the Salt Lake Temple. Their years at U of U Village were filled with ball games, studies, a Bachelors degree, immersion in church callings, ball games, a Masters degree and 2 blonde, blue-eyes babies before moving to Centerville, where life has been a series of grand adventures as 5 more joyful additions to their “always-there-family” were lovingly welcomed.

He served faithfully in the Church of Jesus Christ in the Young Men program, in bishoprics, on a high council, in the Young Adult program, as a temple worker and as a treasured Sunday School teacher. But his favorite calling was Father- the one from which, he reminded us, he would never be released. The gospel of Jesus Christ was a constant of his life and always a source of great peace to him, in every circumstance.

He was a skilled golfer but chose to make his Saturday hobby his “always-there-family”. He was the coach of 95% of their teams, sometimes the room mother (honored to wear a Mrs. Davies name tag), math tutor, pinewood derby craftsman, cheerleader, fort-builder, hiker, WDW soldier, Magic Memories maker, concert-attender, weeding partner, scripture picture leader, DQ rewarder, dispenser of knowledge both trivial & eternal, piano-lesson partner, sandwich builder, puzzle-solver, wrestling buddy, tomato planter, Sunday Dinner King and night-time story-teller as an always-there Daddy.

He felt the importance of village-building and served his community with zeal alongside his “always-there-family”. He was the first visionary of CenterPoint Legacy Theatre as he assisted a group of selfless people to dream the impossible dream at Rodger’s Memorial Theatre. In these pursuits, he became a “Man for All Seasons”, evolving from an athlete with a hidden love for classical music to a fan of all things Broadway, a behind-the-scenes producer, a Les Mis turn-table carpenter, a budding Food Network star complete with his own chef jacket, a purveyor of the arts and a drop-whatever-you-are doing to serve as an always-there neighbor.

He was the recipient of many community honors, but his most cherished honor was that of “Papa Monster” which he earned chasing the world’s cutest grandchildren around the house as an always-there Papa.

His best friend was his sweetheart Shelley and he was, as she claims, her “superpower”. He was the hero with that “welcoming, twinkly-eyed grin” behind projects which filled the spectrum of fairytale festivals, religion teacher, remarkable Friend to Friend productions, waffle breakfasts, cast lunches, galas and celebrating every holiday in a red, white and blue way, and searching the scriptures because he was her always-there sidekick.

He and his Papa Bill wisdom will always be there for those he left to become disciples of Christ:

Brooke and Dan Liljenquist (Jacob, Grace, Nathan William, Joshua, Benjamin, Eden)

Krista Davies and Jim Funk (Janessa, Jackson)

Megan and Greg Larsen (Emmalee, Olivia, Samuel, Amelia)

Jordan and Courtney Davies (William, Theodore)

Taylor and Danica Davies (James)

Matt Davies and Johnny Link

Great gratitude to those who have been earthly angels to Bill and his beloved family.

The first celebration gathering will be held on Tuesday, May 25^th from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Russon Brothers Mortuary in Bountiful- 295 North Main.

A celebration of Bill’s life will take place on Wednesday, May 26^th at 12:00 pm at CenterPoint Legacy Theatre in Centerville- 525 North 400 West.

Prior to the celebration a second gathering will be held from 10:30 am to 11:30 am at the theater.

For those unable to attend the celebration in person, a live broadcast can be seen on the Russon Mortuary & Crematory Facebook page. The live broadcast will also be posted below at around 11:50 a.m on Wednesday, May 26^th.

In lieu of flowers, you may make a contribution to a 501c3 non-profit dedicated to sharing the joy of our special needs friends, “The Remarkability Project”. Donations may be mailed to:

MACU

298 N Marketplace Drive

Centerville, UT 84014

Attn: Remarkability Inc.

or given via Venmo @remarkabilityproject

“Know ye not that ye are in the hands of God”?  Mormon 5:23