In Memoriam of Dr. Thomas W. Davis

Dr. Thomas William Davis, beloved husband of Jennifer Davis, passed away on September 28, 2025, in Nashville, Tennessee at age 68. The younger son of the Reverend Dr. E. Bradford Davis and Edna Sayers Davis, Tom was born in Ridley Park, PA. He graduated from Lansdowne-Aldan High School (PA) and received a B.A. in History and Archaeology from Wheaton College (IL). He married his high school sweetheart, Jennifer (Jenny) Little, also of Lansdowne, and recently celebrated 45 years of marriage. Tom went on to complete an M.A. and Ph.D. in Syro-Palestinian Archaeology from the University of Arizona.

Dr. Davis retired from teaching in May 2025, having been a Professor of Archaeology at Lipscomb University and Associate Director of the Lanier Center for Archaeology, as well as Professor of Archaeology at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth. After a position in cultural resource management for Goodwin & Associates in Frederick, Maryland, Tom and Jenny relocated to Nicosia, Cyprus, where Tom served as Director of the Cyprus American Archaeological Research Institute (CAARI) from 2003 to 2011. He had extensive excavation experience in the United States, Cyprus, Jordan, Egypt, Sudan, and Kazakhstan. Best known for his work on Biblical Backgrounds and early Christianity, Tom was the author of Shifting Sands: The Rise and Fall of Biblical Archaeology (2004), and a major contributor to the Archaeology Study Bible (2017).

Tom was a lifelong Christian, serving as a Presbyterian elder, Adult Education teacher, Missions Committee member, and choir member, among other contributions. While in Tennessee, Tom was a member of Covenant Presbyterian Church in Nashville.

A devotee of J.R.R. Tolkien and Sherlock Holmes, Tom was also an avid reader of medieval history and a fan of the Philadelphia Phillies. Over the years he and Jenny enjoyed traveling in Europe and the Middle East.

In addition to his wife Jennifer, Tom is also survived by a brother, Edward B. Davis (Kathryn) of Dillsburg, PA; nieces Katherine Elizabeth Draney (Merritt) of Hampton, VA, and Julia Lynn Blackburn (Michael) of Sinking Spring, PA; father-in-law David Wilmore Little of Wayne, PA; brother-in-law Thomas David Little (Marigene) of Prince George, VA; sister-in-law Christina Ann Allmer (Edwin) of Rockledge, PA; and nephews Sean Patrick Little of Prince George, VA, and Matthew Thomas Little (Kristen) of San Antonio, TX.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 18, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 33 Burton Hills Blvd., Nashville. 

To honor Tom’s life and legacy, the family asks that memorial gifts in lieu of flowers be directed to the Lanier Center for Archaeology at Lipscomb University, 1 University Park Drive, Nashville, TN 37204.