Stephen Frederic Davis, 63, of Durham, N.C., passed away Tuesday, September 22, 2015, at home. He was born on November 27, 1951, in DeKalb, IL, to Margaret and the late Wilman E. Davis. Steve is a Vietnam Veteran having served with the 101st Airborne Division. He received an Honorable Discharge from the U.S. Army in 1971.

A 1969 graduate of Forrest-Strawn-Wing High School, Forrest, IL, Steve received his Bachelor's Degree in Education with a double major in English and Mathematics from Illinois State University. In his 'first career', he served as a 6th grade elementary teacher in Fairbury, IL; and following in his father's footsteps, Steve also worked at Honegger Farms in both Forrest and Fairbury.

After several years of teaching, Steve refocused his professional career on sales. Throughout most of his career, he flourished in the building materials industry, and had a specific fondness for the training aspect of the business, including developing training modules, training and teaching marketing techniques to personnel, creating new product development programs and forecasting and implementing sales initiatives. As an experienced sales manager and director, he received numerous regional and national sales awards.

Stephen is survived by his former wife Jill Nussbaum Davis of Fairbury, IL, and mother of their four children: 'Chad' and his wife Anne, Decatur, IL; 'Tara' and her husband Chad Wamsley, Bloomington, IL; 'Wendi' and her husband Ryan Zimmerman, Fairbury, IL; and 'Kaci' and her husband Chase Fischer, Bourbonnais, IL. In addition, he is survived by eight grandchildren; his mother Margaret, Delray Beach, FL; brother J.R. and his wife Diana, Charlotte, N.C.; and three sisters, Cynthia, Kamloops, Canada; Marilee, Atlanta, GA; and Suzanne and her husband Steve Guillebeau, Nashville, TN; as well as a niece, a nephew and his fiancé Sally Sullivan, Durham, N.C.

Always quick with an infectious smile, Steve had a great sense of humor, a heart of gold and a sweet tooth for almost any kind of pie. He also delighted in being mischievous whenever possible! In addition to loving his family and making people laugh from his many pranks, he enjoyed hunting and fishing.

Funeral arrangements include a visitation for family and friends on Monday, October 5, 2015, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Duffy-Pils Memorial Home, 100 West Maple Street, Fairbury, IL. A military burial will take place at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, October 6, 2015, at Kankakee Memorial Gardens, 15S 3000E Road, Kankakee, IL.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, memorials be sent to the Animal Protection Society of Durham, 2117 E. Club Blvd., #101, Durham, N.C. 27704 or the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, KS 66675.