Davis was born on February 26, 1947 in Asheville, North Carolina. He graduat-ed from James A. Gray High School in Winston-Salem in 1965. Davis went on to Lees-McRae in Banner Elk, North Carolina and served in the U.S. Army Re-serves after college. He was married to Ann Collins on December 29, 1968.
In 1974, Davis founded D.L. Davis & Company, Inc., which has become one of the premier financial services and employee benefit firms in the Southeast. To-day it has thousands of business and individual clients throughout the country. Davis received many awards and accolades for his outstanding work in the in-surance industry to name only a few: the MassMutual Presidents’ Honorary Award, President’s Organizational Award, the distinguished ELIF (Exceptional amount of Life Insurance in Force) honors, Life Blue Chip Council award since 1986, as well as the industry’s distinguished National Quality Award. He was a consistent member of many professional organizations, including Million Dollar Round Table for 26 years, the prestigious Top of the Table for 23 years, and NAIFA since 1976.
Davis also became a leader and well known in the community for his real estate efforts in the community including the revitalization of historic downtown Win-ston-Salem as early as the 1980s. He began a real estate development business in the early 1990s named East Coast Capital, Inc. This family company is recog-nized as one of the region’s most innovative commercial and residential real es-tate and property management organizations.
Davis’ philanthropic heart was large as well as his passion for helping others in need, and his many contributions to the community, was nothing less than ex-emplary. In 2004, The Derrick L. Davis Regional Cancer Center at Forsyth Med-ical Center of Novant was named in his honor and serves many patients and families as one of the largest cancer centers in the South. Chairing many boards and participating in multiple organizations throughout the community, Davis was always willing to give his time and efforts. He was a past Chairman of the Forsyth Medical Center Foundation Board. He has served as a member of the Medical Center Board of Visitors for Bowman Gray School of Medicine, the Board of Directors for First Citizens Bank, The Wake Forest University School of Business and Winston-Salem Chamber of Commerce. He also served on the Forsyth Tech Foundation Board and was a longtime member and contributor to the Wake Forest Deacon Club. He was a member of Centenary United Methodist Church. Davis’ love for his family including his wife, two chil-dren, and two grandchildren, and for his favorite retreat, his farm, was immeas-urable.
Davis is preceded in death by his mother, Doris Virginia Robinson Pressler, stepfather, Charles Augustus Pressler, and father, Parker Ray Davis. He is sur-vived by his loving wife, Ann Collins Davis; a son, Chadwick Derrick Davis, of Charleston, South Carolina; a daughter, Suzanne Collins Davis, and two grandchildren, Davis Lauren Campbell and Will Campbell, of Winston-Salem; a brother, Jerome “Jerry” Ray Davis of Virginia Beach, VA; nephew Brantley (Ann) Davis of Washington, D.C.; nieces Southard (John) Nowak of Asheville, NC and Kinsley James of Greensboro, NC; nephews Michael (Angie) Collins of Eden, NC and Trentt (Amy) James of Wilmington, NC; sisters-in-law Judy Collins James and Debra Louise Collins of Winston-Salem; brother-in-law Jerry Lewis Collins; family friend James Hank Perkins; his D.L. Davis & Co., Inc. and East Coast Capital, Inc. families; and dear family and friends.
Davis’ memorial service will be held on Monday, November 20, at 1:00 p.m. at Centenary United Methodist Church, 646 W. Fifth Street in Winston-Salem. The family will receive guests at Forsyth Country Club following the service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to the Derrick L. Davis Re-gional Cancer Center, 3333 Silas Creek Parkway, Winston-Salem, NC 27106.
Online condolences may be sent to www.salemfh.com.
