Thomas Austin Davis, 93, an Oreland dentist for more than five decades, died March 5 of a heart attack at Chestnut Hill Hospital.
Dr. Davis, who retired in 2013, also was a member of the staff of the dental surgery department at Chestnut Hill Hospital.
He was a member of the Academy of General Dentistry and served as a member and past president of the National Academy of Seventh-day Adventist Dentists.
Born in Memphis, Tenn., he attended what is now Washington Adventist University and received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from the University of Pennsylvania's Dental School. After graduation, he set up his dental practice in a home office in Oreland and practiced general dentistry there for 52 years.
During World War II he served in the Army as an X-ray technician in the Burma Theater.
Dr. Davis was a member of the Chestnut Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church, where he served for many years as an elder and a member of the board of directors.
An avid tennis player, he won many amateur tournament awards. He loved music and was an accomplished saxophone and clarinet player, practicing and performing until his death.
He is survived by his wife, the former June Robbins Smith; a daughter, Carol Ann Jones, of Loma Linda, Calif.; a son, William A. Davis, of Oreland; step-daughters Lori Laferriere, Jennifer Gursky and Pamela Smith, and five grandchildren. Dr. Davis' first wife, the former Marian McNeil, died in 1982.
A funeral service will be held a 10:30 a.m. Monday, March 16, at the Chestnut Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church, 8700 Germantown Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19118. Relatives and friends may call at the church after 9:30 a.m. A graveside service will be held at at 2 p.m. at Washington Crossing National Cemetery, 830 Highland Road, Newtown, Pa.
Memorial donations, designated for the Building Fund, may be mailed to the above church or sent to the church's website at www.chestnuthillsda.org. – WF
