William Keith Davis, 64, a resident of Wetumpka and formerly of Luverne, passed away peacefully in his home on Saturday, Oct. 21. Funeral services for Keith were held at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 24, from the Chapel of Turners Funeral Home with Rev. Jud Flint officiating. Interment followed in Brunson Chapel Cemetery in Brantley with Turners Funeral Home of Luverne directing. 

Keith trained as a barber, but wound up going into the family business of owning and operating Luverne Cleaners for most of his working career. They were always the best around and he took pride in being a vibrant part of the downtown community for so very long. He was also a children’s pastor at several churches over the years, and became a founding pastor of Fountain of Life Worship Center. Keith always had such a deep and abiding love for children, so he loved nothing more than the time he spent teaching Children’s Church as he molded and guided young children to set their feet on the right path! He left an indelible impression on each and every one of them as well, as so many look back with cherished memories of their time learning from him. In his free time, Keith also enjoyed reading, but there was simply nothing he loved more than spending time with his family, friends, and church family. Those three groups always meant the most to him and kept him going through even the worst of times. 

Keith certainly suffered many slings and arrows from life’s hard road. He often joked that he was “headed to Heaven once piece at a time,” and, if you knew Keith even briefly, then you wouldn’t be one bit surprised that he could make a joke out of even the worst of circumstances. That’s just who Keith was. He was truly one of the most positive and upbeat people you’d ever be fortunate to meet. He never let life get him down and he certainly wasn’t going to waste his time complaining about circumstances outside of his control. Oh no, Keith would much rather spend his time checking on you and what was going on in your life. He was a quiet and gentle type of man, and he loved to talk, so there was no one better to put even the most agitated person at ease during a conversation. His positivity just flowed out of him and affected everyone in his orbit. Lord knows, if Keith could find so much in his life to make him happy, then anyone could! It didn’t hurt that he also had such a fabulous sense of humor! There was no one better at playing pranks than Keith in his younger days, and just about everyone has a great story about that time he got them. 

Above all, he was such a devoted husband, father, and son, but there was no role in his life that he took more pride and joy in than being “Papa” to his granddaughter, Blaise. I mean, he enjoyed being a father, but being a grandparent just hits differently! He doted on her the last three years and she most definitely thrived under his love. Words cannot express how much he was adored by everyone who knew and loved him nor how sorely he will be missed, but they will find comfort in the knowledge that he is now healthy and whole in the arms of his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 

Keith was preceded in death by his father, William “Bill” Davis. He is survived by his loving wife of 40 years, Renee Hall Davis; their son and daughter-in-law, Seth and Laurel Walker Davis; beloved granddaughter, Blaise Anderson Davis; and his mother and stepfather, Sarah Gaines & George Sewell. 

Active pallbearers were Justin Bradley, Jonathan Ganey, David Ganey, Joseph Bowers, James Dicks, Jarrett Flint, Thomas Kelly, and John Powell.

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” — Maya Angelou