William Davila

Towards the end of his life, Davila suffered from Alzheimer's disease, which led to his death on February 14, 2014.

Davila retired for a second time from Von's in 1998.

In 1994, Davila was honored by the University of Southern California Marshall School of Business with their Food Industry Executive of the Year Award for that year. He would later be a keynote speaker at the school's annual "legends of the industry" luncheon.

Davila decided to retire briefly in 1990, but returned to Vons in 1992, being appointed President Emeritus of the company during that era.

Vons became the official supermarket chain of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. About that time, Davila was named the company's president and C.E.O., becoming the first Mexican-American ever to be named president of a large American supermarket chain.

Davila returned to work at Vons almost immediately after being honorably discharged from the Air Force, in 1955. Twenty years later, in 1975, Kenneth O. Olsen, then president of the Vons Grocery Company, announced that Davila, along with Donald Stuetz, J.R. Risher, William Birney and Richard London would be named Vice-President of the company.

Davila joined the United States Air Force in 1951; he was discharged in 1954 having served as a drill Sergeant.

William "Bill" Davila (born Guillermo Davila, April 25, 1931 – February 14, 2014) was an American soldier and businessman. He was involved with many nationally known companies in the United States, including Vons Supermarkets, which he presided twice, first from 1984 to 1990 and then as president emeritus from 1992 to 1998; The Home Depot, Wells Fargo, Hormel Foods and others. He was also president of the Western Association of Food Chains (WAFC).

Bill Davila who is of Mexican descent, was born to Salvador Davila and Polly Lopez-Davila in Los Angeles, California on April 25, 1931. He was the couple's only child. Davila attended the Mount Lowe Military Academy from where he went on to the Polytechnic High School in Los Angeles.