86R26836 JGH-D
By: Kacal H.R. No. 1271
R E S O L U T I O N
WHEREAS, A rich and purposeful life has drawn to a close with
the death of rodeo rider and producer Joe Davis of Fulshear on March
25, 2019, at the age of 85; and
WHEREAS, "Smokey" Davis was born in Crosby on August 25,
1933, to Joe and Alice Davis; he started breakaway roping at the age
of 9, winning his first adult event at 11, and he exhibited cattle
at major livestock shows in Houston, Dallas, and San Antonio while
he was in high school; he went on to attend the University of
Houston, where he was president of the rodeo team and competed in
five events, calf roping, steer roping, steer wrestling, bareback
riding, and bull riding; and
WHEREAS, Working as a machinist from 1955 until his
retirement in 1972, Mr. Davis also operated a ranch and continued
to compete in the rodeo on the weekends; he and a partner started
Round-Up Rodeo Productions in 1972, and in 1978, he founded the
Rafter D Rodeo Company, which staged 50 rodeos a year throughout
Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, including shows for such
dignitaries as Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and Queen Beatrix of
the Netherlands; over the years, he supplied livestock and
locations for many motion picture and television productions,
including the television miniseries Lonesome Dove and the series
The Son; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Davis served on the board of the International
Professional Rodeo Association as the stock contractor for the
Southern Region for 22 years, and he was a lifetime committee member
of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo; he was also a member of the
Southern Rodeo Association and the Texas Rodeo Association, each of
which named him producer of the year on many occasions; his other
honors include induction into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame
and the South Central Texas Rodeo Ring of Honor; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Davis shared 62 years with his wife, Betty,
until her death in 2016; he was the proud father of 5 children,
Steve, Donnie, Ronnie, Kathy, and Karen, and later in life he was
blessed with 10 grandchildren, Jason, Jake, Lesliann, Brettney,
Hunter, Alicia, Ian, Caley, John, and the late John Edward Nemeth,
as well as 20 great-grandchildren; and
WHEREAS, A devoted family man and a true Texas cowboy, Smokey
Davis lived a life that was rich in professional and personal
accomplishments, and he will forever be a source of inspiration to
those he leaves behind; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 86th Texas
Legislature hereby pay tribute to the memory of Joe "Smokey" Davis
and extend heartfelt sympathy to his relatives and many friends;
and, be it further
RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
prepared for his family and that when the Texas House of
Representatives adjourns this day, it do so in memory of Smokey
Davis.