July 17, 1944 �" February 8, 2013
William Dell Davis , born July 17, 1944 in Antioch, California, died in San Francisco February 8, 2013 of pancreatic cancer.
Bill grew up in the Bay Area and Williamsburg, Virginia, graduating from Johns Hopkins University in 1968. A devoted violinist, he played with his string quartet for 25 years. Bill performed with the La Jolla Symphony and helped found the Bay Area Rainbow Symphony. He studied city planning at USC, becoming director of Local Agency Formation Commissions in San Diego, Santa Cruz, and San Mateo counties. He volunteered as a caregiver for AIDS patients through the Shanti Project.
Bill loved history, collected maps and train schedules, enjoyed running, hiking, camping, and traveling. He could recommend sites to visit, hotels, restaurants, and music. Understated and modest, Bill was an avid reader.
Bill is survived by his life partner, Dr. Frederick J. Fox; sister Jean Davis (Greg Young) of Forestville, California; brother Jerry Davis of Cary, North Carolina; niece Jody King (Ben Barros); and great-nephews Griffin and Brayden Barros-King of Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania.
Bill will be missed by a wide circle of friends who admired his courage, integrity, humility, intelligence, natty attire, and thoughtfulness. A memorial will be held at noon, Sunday, March 17 at the Chapel at Park Hill, 351-355 Buena Vista Avenue East in San Francisco. Contributions in Bill's memory may be made to BARS (http://www.bars-sf.org).