Lynn Davis' Legacy

April 28, 2011  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Obituaries on April 29, 2011

Lynn Davis.

Shock rippled through the furniture industry earlier this week as news of Lynn's passing made its way from person to person. Such horrific, sudden news, and we were all impacted.

Wicked storms happen every day. We see them on the news, but it's typically somewhere else, someone else. Until Wednesday, when it wasn't just another storm; another unknown someone. It was one of our someones.

Our intimate furniture industry has lost an incredibly tall pillar in Lynn's passing. He was more than just a vendor selling furniture to retailers, he was also one of the industry's biggest philanthropists. Lynn was always ready and willing to take a leadership role, head up a campaign or just offer a helping hand.

In fact, he was on his way to offer his hand in help to a friend whose house had sustained storm damage Wednesday when his truck was picked up by a tornado and thrown several miles into a neighboring county.

That sums him up. He was a quiet, genuine, caring soul who never thought twice about dropping what he was doing to reach out to someone in need.

On a personal note, I met Lynn way back when in 1994 at the August Tupelo Furniture Market when I attended the market for the first of many times. He was quiet and reserved and willing to teach a new reporter about the upholstery business, the Tupelo Market and the furniture industry.

Through the years, he's been a keystone for me as I've continued to write about our ever-changing business. I was honored to sit on the furniture industry's executive board for the City of Hope with him, a position and honor he took very seriously.

His touch will forever be felt in the industry. He was one of the founders of the Tupelo Furniture Market, selling the former Mississippi Complex to V.M Cleveland in 1988. Lynn forever changed the landscape of downtown High Point with the development of the showroom buildings, Centers of High Point, which were created from shuttered mills.

His real estate holdings in the city and his firm belief in the viability of the High Point Market led him to his seat on the High Point Market Authority where he was a vocal proponent of the Market.

Lynn's impact will be forever missed; he will be forever missed.

A memorial service is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the First Baptist Church in West Point, Miss. Visitation will be held today from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the church. Burial will be in a private graveside service Saturday afternoon. Robinson Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Peace and love to his family, friends and all of his industry colleagues.