Tony Davis (BLS ’96) loved the University of Saint Francis—known as Saint Francis College during his time working at the institution. From organizing major alumni events, traveling around the country to engage with alumni and pushing for publicity for athletics and other events, Davis focused on making connections.

Davis, who died on Nov. 24 after fighting cancer and other illnesses, sat down with Saint Francis Marketing on Nov. 2 for an interview about his time at Saint Francis. He made sure to emphasize his unbreakable bond.

“I’ve put my life in three places: Life before Saint Francis, life at Saint Francis—which is the most significant part of my life, shaping who I am—and life after Saint Francis,” Davis said. “Even my life after Saint Francis was shaped by my life at Saint Francis. Of everything I’ve ever done in my life, the most important stuff was right here at Saint Francis.”

Davis recalled stretching a limited alumni budget to stage 40 events outside of Fort Wayne—“29 cities, up and down highway 75, including Florida,” he said—to engage with alumni and promote Saint Francis. His team’s efforts received a national award from the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Davis organized a wedding vows renewal service for alumni and an “adopt a student” program to help student needs, and he worked tirelessly to interact with local media to promote Saint Francis in all areas. Besides the alumni office, he worked with development, student affairs and athletics. He continued to support Saint Francis after leaving the university in 1997.

An Army veteran from the Vietnam era, Davis was honored in March by having his story publicized through the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs. The article emphasized how Davis contributed to medical services with the Army and then spent 40 years working in education and human services at several universities, including Saint Francis. It also detailed how he and his wife Sally dealt with his numerous health challenges.

In addition to his wife Sally, he is survived by children Heather, Barry and Russell and grandchildren Harrison, Colin and Everly.

Funeral services are 11 a.m. Tuesday, Dec. 5 at Greenlawn Funeral Home, 6750 Covington Road, Fort Wayne, with visitation from 4 to 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 4. A Celebration of Life will be held from 12:30 to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at the Saint Francis North Campus Gymnasium.