Obituary of William George Davis

William G. “Bill” Davis, 79, of Marquette passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 10, 2021 in Saginaw, MI. Bill was born on September 25, 1941 in Detroit, MI. He was the first-born child of Genevieve (Lovelace) Davis and Harvey Davis of Detroit. When Bill was young, his family moved to Oscoda, MI. Bill married Kathleen L. Davis in Oscoda in 1968 and had a successful career in banking for 35 years. The majority of his career was spent with Security Bank & Trust, in Detroit, although his career took them to locations throughout the Midwest. Bill started his career in loan repossessions, but quickly was promoted to the credit card division and ended his career as a Vice President. Bill was a long-time member of the Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring program. He began as a Big Brother in Trenton, MI and continued mentoring young men after moving to Marquette. Bill was also an active environmentalist and enjoyed accompanying Kathy as she took her students on various scientific field trips hiking on Isle Royale and canoeing the Au Sable River. Bill retired to Marquette and became active on the board of the Marquette County Democratic Party and the Upper Peninsula Land Conservancy. He was a social activist, passionate about protecting nature and working towards social justice. Bill loved traveling, both domestically and internationally, including most recently to Antarctica. Many of the trips that he and Kathy took involved nature conservation, land preservation, and bird watching. Bill also loved steelhead and coho salmon fishing during the fall and was very active in protecting the endangered piping plover in Grand Marais, where he and Kathy had a summer home. Bill is predeceased by his wife Kathy and brother Harvey. He is survived by his sisters, Eleanor Sue (David) Sims of Duncan, SC; Gayle Chisholm of Jackson, MI; his sister-in-law Susan Davis of Lincoln, MI; brother-in-law Gerald B. (Sue) Lockhart of Saginaw, MI; nieces and nephews, Cheynna (David) Lappin of Duncan, SC, Christopher (Laura) Hart of Saginaw, MI, Kendra (Kale) Seagraves of Jackson, MI, Sara Becker of Decatur, GA, John Davis of California, Laura (Jason) Lockhart of Livonia, MI and Elizabeth (Bryan) Lockhart of Bradenton, FL; as well as his beloved golden retriever, Louise. At Bill’s request, cremation will take place and memorial services will be held in Marquette and Grand Marais in the summer of 2021. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Bill’s name to UPAWs (Upper Peninsula Animal Welfare Shelter), Big Brothers Big Sisters of Marquette and Alger County, or Seney National History Association (SNHA). Arrangements have been entrusted to Deisler Funeral Home, 2233 Hemmeter Rd. (off State), Saginaw, Michigan 48603.