William Jackson "Bill" Davies

William Jackson “Bill” Davies, 84, of Wichita, Kansas, passed away peacefully in his sleep the morning of November 4, 2026 after battling cancer for two years, with his loving wife and devoted son at his side.  Born in Wichita to Roy and Gladyce Davies, Bill moved to Southern California as a young child.  He graduated from Long Beach High School in 1960 and Long Beach California State University in 1969 with a BA degree in history and teaching credential in 1970.  He graduated from National University in San Diego, CA with an MBA in 1981.

Bill loved his country and retired from the U.S. Army as a Major General in January 2003 after serving 40 years in uniform.  In his last assignment, Bill served at the U.S. Europe Command (EUCOM) in Stuttgart, Germany under General Wesley Clark as the Director of Reserve Components (USAREC), the Director of the Joint Interagency Coordination Group (JIACG), and as the Assistant Director of Plans and Policy (J-5).  While at EUCOM, he had short deployments to Bosnia, Kosovo, and Ukraine.  In May 2000, he deployed to Hoedspruit, South Africa for humanitarian operations as the Deputy Commander of Operation Atlas Response with operations in Mozambique and Zimbabwe.  He graduated from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, KS and later from the U.S. Army War College in Carlisle, PA in 1992.  Bill accumulated more than 3,000 flight hours as a Master Army Aviator.

His hobbies included aviation and history.  He had a passion for flying helicopters and airplanes, and restored an L-19 Bird Dog that he flew to airshows across the country.  He coauthored a book on the H-21 helicopter and compiled the diaries of his great grandfather’s service in the Civil War.  He toured WWI and WWII battlefields in Germany and France with his Army staff and friends.  He loved visiting Civil War sites across the country, especially Gettysburg.

Bill is survived by his loving wife, Dolores, their two devoted children, Angela and Michael, and their three cherished grandchildren: Caitlin (11), Alicia (4), and Haley (3).  He will be forever remembered as hard-working, loving, humble, and grateful for his many blessings.  He loved Jesus and his wife, children, and grandchildren beyond words.

A memorial service will be held at Heartland Community Church on Thursday, November 12^th, at 10:00 am.  The service will be officiated by Pastor Ben Marquez.  Bill will be buried at the Kansas National Veterans Cemetery located in Winfield, KS later that day.

Please have flowers delivered to the church.

Arranged through Downing & Lahey West Mortuary.