Obituary of Glenn A. Davis
Glenn Alan Davis of Townville, Pennsylvania, passed away Friday at the age of 72 after a wonderful life full of accomplishment and adventure.
Born on April 18, 1949, Glenn was the son of Glenn L. Davis and Pearl S. Davis of Chapmanville. As a boy, he spent every possible moment in the woods with a gun or walking the bank of Sugar Crick with his fishing pole. On the rare occasion he was not hunting or fishing, Glenn worked in his father’s sawmill, helped on his grandfather’s farm, and routinely embarrassed his mother with his penchant for schoolyard brawls.
Strong, handsome, and blessed with a forceful personality, Glenn grew into an excellent athlete. Graduating from Townville High School in 1967, he set track and field records that still stand, led the football team to their first winning season in years, and shined as one of the first stars of the legendary Townville/Maplewood volleyball dynasty. Glenn’s best sport, however, was baseball. An excellent hitter and fielder, Glenn was the MVP on a Meadville-based touring team that included two future Major League Baseball players.
His baseball career derailed by an injury acquired skiing behind a truck, Glenn briefly attended college in Pittsburgh before being drafted into the Army in 1970. As natural a soldier as he was an athlete, Glenn set new high scores on shooting and grenade ranges at Ford Dix and Fort Sill. Sent to Vietnam, Glenn became one of the most highly decorated soldiers in his division, winning three Bronze Stars and a Silver Star for his gallantry under fire.
Glenn returned home in 1971 and started working for Cyclops Steel in Titusville. At Cyclops (later renamed Cytemp), Glenn rose from the floor of the rolling mill to the main office where he worked as an engineer and metallurgist despite never finishing college.
Glenn moved to a wooded plot of land outside of Townville in the early 1980s where he built a beautiful wooden home of his own design, largely with his own hands. For the rest of his life, Glenn remained a fixture of the Townville community, becoming famous as a great cook and generous friend.
In 1987, Glenn married Dr. Sandra Griffing, VMD originally of Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. Although their marriage did not last, they produced a son together, Bryant Alan Davis, who was the greatest joy of Glenn’s life.
After Cytemp closed in 1994, Glenn took a job managing a small powder blending facility, ARC Metals, in Ridgway, Pennsylvania. Glenn transforming the struggling business into a model of efficiency and profitability and became a highly regarded executive in northcentral Pennsylvania’s manufacturing sector. But his heart remained in Townville. In 2002, Glenn moved back home to take a job as the president of Hegedus Aluminum Industries outside Oil City. The aluminum foundry was on the brink of collapse when he arrived. Acting quickly, Glenn bought the business from the venture capitalists who had mismanaged it and narrowly saved Hegedus from bankruptcy. After years of struggle, he revived Hegedus’s fortunes and made it into a pillar of the Venango County economy employing more than sixty people.
Never ceasing to love the outdoors, Glenn hunted and fished all over the world. He especially loved hunting antelope and mule deer in Montana, fishing for walleye in Quebec, and fly fishing at the feet of the Andes Mountains in Chile. In his later years, he discovered a love of trap shooting, competing for the local Townville team and regularly breaking 50 out of 50 clay pigeons.
Glenn was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor in November of 2020, likely caused by his exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. Ravaged by his terrible disease, Glenn lost the ability to care for himself, walk, and eventually found himself unable to leave his bed during the last months of his life. Despite all the pain and setbacks, he remained true to himself, making wisecracks, dispensing wisdom, and leaving behind a trail of nurses, aides, and caregivers who came to care for him deeply. On his last day, he saw many of his family and friends. He passed away peacefully in his own home, his son lying beside him, holding his hand.
Glenn was preceded in death by his mother and father. He is survived by his son, his sisters LuAnn Bossard and Linda Griffin, his brother James D. Davis, and innumerable friends all over the United States.
Memorial services will be held at Gordon B. Garrett Funeral Home 303 N. Washington St. Titusville, PA 16354. Viewing hours will be on Monday, November 15th from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., followed by a funeral service on Tuesday, November 16th at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, well-wishers are invited to donate to the American Brain Tumor Association in Glenn’s name.
If you wish to leave a condolence for the family, visit garrettfuneralhomeinc.com
