Resident Feature

Meet the Davis Family

A family bonded through education and hard work

Ron Davis remembers the day he met Kim as if it were yesterday. “She walked into the Clayton Valley Bowl to visit some friends, and I saw her come in. I was captivated by her,” he recalls. “She wasn’t interested, but every time she came back, I kept up my persistence. Eventually, at the end of the season she agreed to go on a date.” That was in 1985, and she hasn’t left his side since. They married six years later in Carmel. Kim still sometimes comes to the bowling alley on the anniversary of the day they met to surprise Ron. 

 

Ron grew up in Concord and graduated from Concord High in 1971. He received his Bachelor’s degree in Animal Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and a Master’s degree in Agriculture; a Teaching Credential followed in 1977. He played on the Mustang’s Football team, rode bulls on the Rodeo Team and competed in Fencing. Ron was very involved in the school’s agriculture department, serving on the Livestock Judging team. He was also part of the school’s ROTC, doing his initial training in Combat Warfare for the U.S. Army. He began his teaching career in 1977, mostly teaching at the high school level in Drafting, P.E., Science, Photography and Ceramics. He started the first Future Farmers of America at Concord High and led winning teams around the country. He has been an active member of 4-H since 1965 and was an All-Star in 1971. The 43-year veteran of teaching now teaches Woodshop and Veterinary Science at Foothill Middle School. It’s a true labor of love for Ron as he also works as a Real Estate Agent for his own company Northgate Realty. He has the honor of having several past students work for him now as agents or in the construction end of the business, helping him flip houses. 

Kim, also an East Bay native, grew up in Antioch and Martinez and graduated from Antioch High in 1984. She then graduated from Los Medanos College in Business in 1987. She is a very active volunteer at all the schools their 5 children have attended. Ron also has two older daughters from his first marriage, so the Davis clan is large and busy! “Kim is the rock of our family,” says Ron. “She keeps us on track and leads us to reach higher!” Kim is a quilter, a crocheter, and a fabulous cook. “All my success has been through her patience and guidance,” adds Ron. “I’m always on the go, and she is the one responsible for keeping our home running effectively and guiding the success of our kids.” 

And that has not been an easy task, with 6 kids raised and one more still at home. The two oldest daughters work in the medical field. Leesha is a phlebotomist, and Andrea is a surgical nurse. Next came four boys, all active in sports and 4-H like Ron, and then another daughter. 

Ronnie, 28, played baseball at Northgate High School for four years, then in college. He graduated from Cal State Sacramento and is now a fire fighter in Marin County. He spent many months fighting the Woodward and Glass Fires that started as a result of the lightning strikes here in Northern California in August. He is engaged to Shannon, the manager at Citrus Salon in Martinez. 

Cody was a member of the Northgate Track and Cross Country Teams, running hurdles and sprints. He received his B.S. in Dairy Science from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and is now working on his Master’s degree in Agriculture. While at Cal Poly, he ran the College Dairy, which produced all types of dairy products for sale to the community. He now teaches at El Dorado Middle School and is one of Northgate’s Track coaches. 

Kristopher also played baseball for Northgate and the Walnut Creek Bulldogs. He received his B.S. from the University of New Orleans in Business, then a Master’s in Accounting. He now lives in New Orleans, working for a large accounting firm there and is engaged to Vivian, who is finishing her PhD. 

The last son, Clayton, also was a member of the Track team at Northgate where he did pole vault and sprints. He is attending Cal Poly too, majoring in Bio Research Agriculture Engineering (BRAE). 

The youngest is a daughter, Kiron, who is a junior at Northgate. She is on the Track team and Dance team. She has danced at Dance Connection Performing Arts Centre in Concord since she was two years old and was the National Campion in Tap in 2017. She plans to be a nurse. 

The family has traveled each year with the goal of seeing all 50 states, which they have completed, along with 30 National Parks! Ron took the four boys on a Europe trip in 2008, traveling with backpacks, Eurail Passes, and no itinerary. Kim and Kiron preferred to go to Palm Springs for the month to enjoy the amenities of a nice hotel. The entire family also enjoys cruises and has sailed to many beautiful spots including Alaska, Vancouver, Jamaica, Mexico, Puerto Rico and many Caribbean islands. In addition, each of the younger five children have a special trip with Ron after college graduation. Ronnie chose China; Kristopher and Cody both went to India. 

In 2001 the Davises, who were living in Concord, wanted to move to the Northgate neighborhood. Ron had always wanted to live here and when an opportunity arose, he jumped on it. The original house on Northgate Rd. would need lots of renovation, and he had much help fro    m past students. Unfortunately though, before they could move in, the house burned down. So they rebuilt it from scratch, room by room, as money was available. They now have the house of their dreams in the neighborhood where Ron has become a much loved teacher, baseball coach and 4-H leader to many of our kids. 


By Kara Navolio, Resident since 1991 

Photo by Julie Cheshire, Julie Cheshire Photography

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