Bobby Davis

Mr. Bobby L. Davis, 85, of Chambersburg, PA passed away the morning of Monday, March 22, 2021. Born July 16, 1935 in St. Clairsville, OH he was the son of the late Andrew and Pearl (Taylor) Davis. He was also preceded in death by his sister Peggy.

He attended Ohio University, Athens, OH where he was president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. Mr. Davis served with the United States Air Force from July 16, 1955 until his honorable discharge April 11, 1960. He retired from a 36 year career in government service as a computer systems analyst for the Letterkenny Army Depot.

Mr. Davis was a decorated and committed softball coach, coaching at Shippensburg University, Chambersburg and Shippensburg High Schools, Penn State Mont Alto and Guilford. He was one of the original founders of the Guilford Athletic Association where he also served as president and was still an active member at the time of his death.

Mr. Davis was the head coach for the Chambersburg High School team in 1983 and led the Lady Trojans to a 16-5 record and a third place finish in the PIAA State Championship. He was the Lady Raiders’ assistant coach for a year before assuming the head coach position.

Mr. Davis was Head Coach of the Shippensburg University softball team for 16 seasons from 1985 to 2000. During his tenure, the Lady Raiders compiled an impressive 449-204-4 record for a winning percentage of .686. At the time of his retirement following the 2000 season he was ranked among the top 15 winningest coaches in the NCAA Division II and was the winningest coach in the history of the team. In his 16 years, Davis guided his teams to nine PSAC tournament appearances and five NCAA tournaments. Shippensburg was conference runner-up four times, including three years in a row from 1997 to 1999. The Lady Raiders won 42 games in 1995 and broke the 40 victory mark again in 1997 and 1998. Davis was named PSAC Eastern Division Coach of the Year in 1998.

In 2005, he led the Shippensburg High School Softball team to a Silver PIAA Class AAA Championship finish. On November 20, 2010 he was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. While coaching at Penn State Mont Alto, in 2013 he was named PSUAC Coach of the Year and on October 19, 2020 he was named an Honorary Member of the Shippensburg University Hall of Fame.

He is survived by his wife, Pamela J. (Spandler) Davis who he met during his military service in England, a daughter Donna Davis of Chambersburg, granddaughter Jennifer (Davis) Lloyd and two great grandchildren, Emma and Owen. In addition to his parents he is preceded in death by his son, Mark L. Davis (Loretta).

The family will receive friends Monday, April 12, 2021 from 5:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. in the Thomas L. Geisel Funeral Home, 333 Falling Spring Road, Chambersburg, PA 17202. A memorial service will be private at the convenience of the family.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to either the American Diabetes Association at www.diabetes.org or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at www.stjude.org.

Online condolences may be expressed at www.geiselfuneralhome.com.