Perry mourns the Godfather of FOPAS

PERRY, Ga. — Davis Cosey was many things. Most immediately, he was a husband, a brother, an uncle and a friend. He was a sports fan, often watching golf tournaments and NASCAR races. He was a successful businessman as well, guiding his family’s businesses as CEO for 42 years. The people of Perry, however, will remember him as a leader — an activist who fought for the needs of those who could not fight for themselves.

In addition to his role as husband, sports fan and businessman, Cosey also made time to serve on several boards within the community and was the founder of the Friends of Perry Animal Shelter (FOPAS), an organization that has continued to save the lives of animals in Perry since its inception in the early 2000s.

On Monday, FOPAS Director Lynne Gibbs sat with The Journal and spoke about Cosey, a man she considered to be a friend and mentor. From the corner of her desk, she pulled a two-gallon Ziploc bag filled to the brim with small slips of paper, each one a photo of a cat or dog that FOPAS had saved in recent years — a physical testimony to Cosey’s work. The photos did not depict all of the animals that have passed through FOPAS, just the ones since they moved into their former building. However, these animals would not have been saved had it not been for the work of Davis Cosey.

Gibbs said much of the same.

“If it wasn’t for Mr. Cosey, animals would’ve been being euthanized for the last 15 years,” Gibbs said. “He started FOPAS as a fundraiser to raise money to help the city get a new shelter. I came along, met him, and then between the two of us, we created the adoption program. That’s when we started moving them out, and it wouldn’t have happened had it not been for him being our backer.”

FOPAS has been operating their adoption program since 2006. For 16 years, FOPAS has pulled animals for the Perry Animal Control, provided them with a temporary home and proper healthcare while also marketing their animals to the public so they could be adopted. Gibbs attested FOPAS success, the financial and legal support to Cosey. According to Gibbs, Cosey is the reason that FOPAS has been able to move to a new building and been able to operate accordingly.

Cosey passed away on Sunday, July 17. He was 70 years old. The Perry community will not forget him, and the impact he has had here will be visible for the future to come.

“Thousands and thousands of animals have been saved because of his vision,” Gibbs said. “It was his goal to do what he could, and he stepped up. He done this for the City of Perry for years, and he’s not with us anymore. It’s time for somebody else to step up.”

Gibbs thanked Diane Cosey, Davis’ wife, for her help and support of the shelter. In lieu of flowers, the family asked that memorial contributions be made to FOPAS. You can donate by visiting www.fopas.org/donate.

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