John Lorraine Davis III
GREENSBORO - Pioneering ophthalmologist Dr. John Lorraine Davis III, 81, of Greensboro, NC, died Friday morning, August 25, 2023, due to pneumonia and complications from Parkinson's Disease.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, September 6th at Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, Greensboro, NC. A reception will follow at Greensboro Country Club. Private inurnment will be held later at Christ Church, St. Simons Island, GA.
John was born in Greensboro on June 25, 1942. He graduated from Grimsley Senior High School in 1960 and went on to earn a degree in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1964. While there, he was a member of the Varsity Swim Team, joined the Sigma Chi Fraternity, Alpha Tau chapter, and earned the reputation for being able to fix anything. John remained active in both Sigma Chi's and the university's alumni affairs throughout his life.
Following his undergraduate work, he was accepted into the UNC School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, graduating in 1968. While there, he met and married Mary Kendrick Fisher of Atlanta, GA with whom he had two beloved children, Lorraine and Walter. Upon completion of his medical degree, John conducted his internship and residency at the Eye Foundation Hospital in Birmingham, AL, where he specialized in ophthalmology and diseases of the eyes. During this time, he also volunteered for the United States Army and achieved the rank of Captain in the US Army Medical Reserve.
John was then awarded a fellowship at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, where he further studied emerging techniques for cataract surgery. He was an early practitioner of these breakthrough procedures when he set up his medical practice in Atlanta, GA.
Over the years, from 1972 to 1992, John treated patients in the Atlanta metro area, starting with his West Paces Ferry clinic, and later opening satellite offices around Atlanta. During his time in private practice, he developed innovative adaptations to the cataract procedure that allowed more services to be provided to more people in need. While he personally conducted thousands of surgeries on patients, his innovations saved the eyesight of tens of thousands more.
In Atlanta, John was a member of the Buckhead Rotary Club, the Leadership Atlanta class of 1983, the Capital City Club, and the Piedmont Driving Club.
In 1992, John left his practice in Atlanta to accept the position of Head of Ophthalmology at the 5000 bed Saudi Aramco medical facility in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. There, he oversaw the establishment of a state-of-the-art eye clinic, treating Aramco employees, the United States military, and members of the Saudi Royal Family.
Throughout his life and his global travels, John maintained a love for his hometown of Greensboro and stayed connected to it by retaining his affiliation with the Greensboro Country Club.
In his later years, after spending some time in Charleston and Kiawah Island, John returned to Greensboro and provided his clinical expertise as a diagnostic physician at the Digby Eye Clinic. During this time, John was active in one of the Greensboro Walking Clubs and was also a founding member of the Greensboro Grasshoppers baseball consortium.
John had a flair for technology and was ahead of the crowd with personal computing. He loved photography, movies and being on the water, always looking forward to his next fishing excursion. More than anything else, John loved his extended family and spending time with his brothers, children and grandchildren at his famous Oyster Roasts and Low Country Boils.
He is survived by his daughter Lorraine D. Huschle of Locust Valley, NY and son Walter C. Davis of Malibu, CA; by his grandchildren, Charles D. Huschle, Natalie L. Huschle and Nicholas C. Davis; and by his brothers and sister Dr. James P. Davis of Greensboro, NC, Christopher J. Davis of Columbia, SC, Peter H. Davis of Myrtle Beach, SC and Teresa M. Highsmith of Macon, GA.
John is preceded in death by his mother, Patricia Chaudron Davis, father John L. Davis Jr, and brothers Dr. Richard B. Davis, Paul D. Davis, JD and E. Way Duckworth. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given in his name to the The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.