Celebrating the Life of James Edward Davis, Sr. — Sweet Daddy

“The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:He leadeth me beside the still waters.He restoreth my soul.”— Psalm 23:1–3

Today, we celebrate the life of James Edward Davis, lovingly known to us as "Daddy"

&“Sweet Daddy.” Born on March 5, 1945, the oldest child of Carriebell Davis and Herman Jackson, he lived a life filled with faith, wisdom, love, and adventure.

My dad was a brilliant man who could have been anything he wanted. He spent more than 30 years in Harlem, New York, and worked faithfully at the same company for 25 years, where everyone knew him as “Jim.” But to us, he was much more. He told his grandchildren to call him Sweet Daddy, and that name became a symbol of his tenderness and love.

I spent many summers in New York with him, when my boys went to their dad. The summer before college, I stayed with Daddy, and he helped support me during those years by sending an allowance. When I had children of my own, I brought them to meet him, and whenever he came back to Texas he always stopped by my house. They too got to know their grandfather—our Sweet Daddy. Even when distance kept us apart, he was always just a phone call away.

Later in life, Daddy moved back to Texas , but he remained a world traveler. His life was full of stories, like the time he shared about being in New York on September 11, 2001, and walking across the bridge with countless others to get home.

Recently, when we learned he was sick, my siblings and I went to see him, and then again in the hospital. That visit became our final moments with him. Fittingly, the last time we saw him was on September 11, and he went home to be with the Lord on September 12, 2025—just one day before my sister’s birthday.

Sweet Daddy had a special way of showing he cared. Every birthday, he would send texts reminding us of the exact time until our day officially arrived. It was his way of saying, “You matter. I’m thinking of you.”

But above all, Daddy loved Jesus. He gave his life to Christ, and because of that, we rejoice knowing he is absent from the body but present with the Lord. That’s why, even in the midst of grief, I can declare with confidence:

“All is well with my soul.”

We celebrate you, Daddy. We honor your legacy. And we carry forward the love and faith you planted in us.

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”— 2 Timothy 4:7