Sturgis businessman, radio personality and photographer Robert W. (Bob) Davis died Sunday, March 20, 2022, at the Lippold Hospice suite at Monument Health in Sturgis following a diagnosis of late-stage cancer. Bob was well known in the Black Hills for his creativity, business ventures and sense of humor that left most everyone who knew him with a "Bob" story.

The Sturgis community showered Bob with an outpouring of love and appreciation in his final days by assembling on Main Street for a group photo in his honor.  Bob was the man behind the camera and on the megaphone for the daily photos of the crowd during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally where he joked that the crowd each day was the "biggest and best looking ever!"   Bob loved Sturgis and the community loved him back!

The Mayor declared March 11, 2022, as Bob Davis Day in Sturgis.  In reality, Bob considered every day Bob Davis Day and didn't hesitate to use self-promotion to his advantage, whether it was marketing the #1 T-shirt design or designating himself as Employee of the Month (every month) at his business.  His love of drones and other toys, including motorized people movers, bikes, scooters and trikes was legendary.

While Bob loved having fun, he was also serious about making Sturgis a better place to live and was highly regarded as a community leader, a friend and mentor to many.  His family was privileged to learn a lot about Bob from the many friends who faithfully visited during his hospice stay and expressed how much Bob meant to them.

Bob was born April 23, 1952, to Carol and Dale Davis of Sturgis.  He attended school in Sturgis, graduating from Sturgis Brown High School in 1970.  He began his radio career in his senior year of high school when he was hired by Les and Marguerite Kleven at KBHB, a local am radio station.  The next decade was spent mostly on-the-air at KBHB, although he briefly attended South Dakota State University and worked at a Rapid City television station during this time. Bob was well-known for several memorable pranks he pulled on the radio, most notably when he spoofed listeners on April 1 about a volcanic eruption on Bear Butte.

In 1979, Bob purchased a restaurant on Main Street Sturgis, called Bob's Family Restaurant. The many hot sauces he collected while he owned the restaurant remain on display today. In 1989, Bob and a partner started a radio station in California.  That venture was not as successful as he hoped, so he returned to daily operations at the restaurant and got more involved in business activities connected to the annual Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

His photography hobby and desire to have the "latest, greatest and best" equipment, led him to a new venture in 2009, when he opened a gift shop, art gallery and picture framing business, Sturgis Photo & Gifts.  Bob's photographs are displayed in businesses, public buildings, the local hospital and homes throughout the area.  His family plans to keep the store open, as Bob requested, which is possible because of the dedication and talent of the crew who manage and work in the store.

Bob is survived by his sisters, Lauren (Stuart) Kingsbery and Peggy (Pat) Cheever, both of Colorado, three nieces and one nephew, three grandnieces, one grandnephew, numerous cousins and a group of close friends and employees that Bob considered family.

Bob is preceded in death by his parents, Dale and Carol (Collins) Davis.

A Celebration of Life service will be held April 1, 2022, at 3 pm, in the theater at the Sturgis Community Center, Sturgis, SD.  The service will be live-streamed on the Kinkade website.  A private interment will be held at the Bear Butte Cemetery in Sturgis.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Sturgis Public Library for a digital archiving project or to Black Hills Trails.org.

Click on the link to view service folder