Obituary of Alfred Davis, Jr.

Dr. Alfred Davis, Jr., 65, passed away at 8:24 A.M. on December 2, 2021, in Montclair NJ, four days before his 40th anniversary in chiropractic practice on the rarest of dates, a date (12/02/2021) which reads the same from right to left as well as upside down, befitting the notion that there will never be another quite like him. He was born, the oldest of three sons, on September 13, 1956, to Alfred and Sylestine Booker Davis at Community Memorial Hospital in South Hill, VA. Soon after his birth in 1956, his parents moved from Virginia to Newark, NJ, for higher-paying work where his dad's extended family lived. In pursuit of owning a home, his parents later moved their young family to Roselle, NJ where Alfred attended Lincoln School (now Dr. Charles A. Polk School). His parents later enrolled him in St. Mary's Elementary School in Newark to be closer to his mother's work as a schoolteacher. He would go on to attend St. Benedict's Prep until their temporary closure in 1972, St. Peter's Prep, and later, until his graduation in 1974, Roselle Catholic High School. Alfred Jr. was promoted to junior manager of a fast-food restaurant while in high school and, subsequently, declared that he would forego college. His mother wasted no time putting him back on track. Alfred Jr. matriculated at Seton Hall University after high school and embarked toward a major in math. There, he melded his love of music and culture to pioneer the first black-oriented radio programming, Focus on Black Pride, at Seton Hall University's WSOU. Not just academically and culturally inclined, Alfred Jr. prided himself in striving for physical and mental development via the practice of Chinese Kung-Fu, Wu-Su, a system based on all aspects of traditional Chinese martial arts, whose approach was to teach openly to all, regardless of race. He also loved to play bass guitar to an extensive vinyl record collection. A car accident would cause him to suffer unprecedented back pain and to get referred to a chiropractor to get relief. Alfred Jr. was so intrigued by the doctor's ability not only to relieve pain symptoms but to cure the cause of the pain without drugs or surgery that the experience created a sea change in his outlook. He subsequently transferred from Seton Hall into the pre-chiropractic program at Bloomfield College and, thereafter, to the doctoral program at New York Chiropractic College. Dr. Davis went on to attain highest achievement receiving the Diplomate American Chiropractic Board of Sports Physicians (DACBSP) and the Diplomate Chiropractic Board of Pain Management (DCBPM). After graduation, Dr. Davis founded his chiropractic practice on December 6, 1981, in Montclair NJ's South End business district and dedicated himself to helping people in community, many of whom were unexposed to natural healing. As his practice grew, he expanded his engagement in wide-ranging facets of the community. He co-founded with Audrey Fletcher the Montclair African American Heritage Foundation's parade and festival to herald the contributions of African Americans. He annually hosted the MLK, Jr. scholarship breakfast to fund proceeds for Montclair's aspiring collegians as its committee board member. He was a financial contributor and exhibitor of the benefits of chiropractic and natural healing to the ACT-SO (Afro-Academic, Cultural Technological-Scientific Olympics) which features adults in community helping youths get to their future. He aimed here as well as at countless community gatherings and career days to promote how health and wellness were essential underpinnings to any aspirations and ambitious pursuits in life, for both youthful strivers as well as for their supportive adult counterparts. Dr. Davis continued to interweave his craft and skill in the healing arts into the fabric of the community. He loved God and loved to worship in church. Keying on the tenets of service and humility, he served as an usher in devout practice of his faith in God at Christ Church. In 2016, Dr. Davis purchased a building on Orange Road, Montclair across the street from his then 35-year-old practice to expand services to his community. With a wholistic approach to not just healing but to community solutions, Dr. Davis, served and presided for over 20 years in the South End Business Association. In 2019, he accepted an appointment to the Montclair Board of Education. where he made contributions to its governance and policy work. Dr. Davis served on the medical staff at Montclair Community Hospital and the Meadowland Hospital Center. He held memberships in the American Chiropractic Association (ACA) Council on Sports Injuries and Roentgenology, the Council on Chiropractic Education, Business Networking International, as well as Jersey Ski. He was past president of the American Black Chiropractic Association, an initial member of the original New Jersey State Board of Chiropractic Examiners and its first African American president Dr. Davis worked tirelessly "to help as many people as possible become healthy and well through natural methods" and emblazoned that message on the facade of his practice in the words: Live Life Well. His gracious manner and character beyond reproach endeared him to all. The supernatural imposition on his beautiful heart to accomplish this goal and to serve with humility as well as he did must have signaled to God to call him home to receive his heavenly reward for a job well done. Dr. Davis is predeceased by his parents: Alfred and Sylestine Davis, his grandparents, Ardee J, and Beatrice J Booker and Everline Jones; three uncles, Wyman Colona, John B Higgs, and Freddie Carnell Townes, first cousin Wyman Colona, Jr. He is survived by his wife, Dianna; son, Alfred Davis III; two brothers, Darnell P., and A. Frizzell Davis; three aunts, Alease Colona, Shirley Higgs, and Yvonne Brooks and a host of close cousins, family, colleagues, and friends. The family of Dr. Alfred Davis, Jr. wishes to thank you for your magnanimous expressions, prayers, gestures of comfort and tributes to honor his beautiful life. May God continue to bless you as He has blessed us. "Together Again" God Saw You Getting Tired… God saw that you were getting tired, And a cure was not to be, So, He put His arms around you And whispered, "Come to Me." With tearful eyes we watched you And saw you pass away, And though we loved you dearly, We could not make you stay. A golden heart stopped beating, Hard working hands at rest. God broke our hearts to prove to us He only takes the best.