John Davidson

John Davidson, age 97 of Waco passed away on Saturday, November 26, 2022 in Waco.

Memorial services will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, February 4, 2023 at Scott’s Funeral Home Chapel.  For those unable to attend, services will be livestreamed at the link below his obituary at www.scottsfh.com.

John Davidson was born May 7, 1925, in Boston, MA, to the late John and Bessie Jane Mitchell Davidson.  He received Christian baptism on January 2, 1926 at Boylston Congregational Church in Jamaica Plains, Boston, MA.  John’s mother died from tuberculosis when he was two years old, and while his father worked, he lived in orphanages and was in foster care until he went to live with his grandfather, William Davidson, in the New Haven, CT area.  His father re-married when John was 9 years old and his dad’s job as engineer with Servel plant had the family transferring to Evansville, Indiana.  John’s half-brother, James, was born in 1939. 

John enlisted in the State Guard of Indiana at the age of 16 and was Honorably Discharged by reason of enlisting in the U. S. Navy during WWII in 1942 at the age of 17, foregoing his senior year of high school at Bosse High School.  After the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, John made it clear to his parents he wanted to serve his country.  He took correspondence courses while in the Navy to earn his High School Diploma, which was presented to him upon his return to Evansville. He graduated under the Veteran’s Plan / Summer Class of 1946 from Bosse High School.

John served aboard the USS Berrien (APA-62) an attack transport ship that saw action in the Pacific theater, which was involved in the invasions of Iwo Jima and Okinawa. He was a Boatswain’s Mate; he was awarded the Combat Action Ribbon, American Campaign Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal, and the Navy Occupation Service Medal with Asia Clasp for his service. He was one of the “Greatest Generation”, those who grew up in the United States during the deprivation of the Great Depression and went on to fight in World War II. John was Honorably Discharged from the Navy in 1946 and returned to Evansville, IN.    He attended Evansville College for one year on the G.I. Bill, majoring in Journalism.  John then went to work for the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad, which took him to Sioux City, IA.  After a short time, he moved to Sioux Falls, SD and found work at Sioux Brake and Equipment, and later Sioux Steel.   John was hired at Metz Baking Company (Old Home Bread) in 1951 as a dock worker and later became dock foreman, and Chairman of the Local 433, Bakers & Confectionery Workers’ Union.   He retired from Metz Baking Company in 1987 after 37 years, creating lifelong friendships with many co-workers. 

John met Audrey Ellen Dickman on a blind date; they married on March 17, 1950 in Sioux Falls, SD.  They were blessed with four children: Mike, Jim, John (Jack), and Jane.  John and Audrey owned Ross Employment Agency and A-1 Self-Service Laundromat.  They took family vacations to the Black Hills and Yellowstone Park areas, and to Arnold’s Park, IA on Labor Day weekends, before the beginning of each school year. Friday nights they met up with good friends, Maurice and Eleanor Poss.  After retirement, they moved to the Mesa, AZ area, where they resided until 2010.  They spent summers in Colorado Springs, CO for several years, then in the Lakeside, AZ area.  When Audrey’s health declined, they relocated to Waco, TX to be close to their children; Audrey passed away in April of 2011, shortly after their 61^st wedding anniversary. 

John was an avid reader, especially biographies; he enjoyed watching Lawrence Welk; playing Trivial Pursuit and Phase 10; he was very competitive. He loved playing basketball with his sons and their friends, and he was always in front of the TV during “March Madness” basketball tournaments; he was a proud Hoosier.  He loved spending time with his wife, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  He made friends easily; he was a true gentleman, a sweet man with a gentle disposition.  He was a man of God who pursued righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and gentleness (1 Timothy 6:11); he worshipped at Turning Point Assembly of God Church in Waco, TX and Live Oak Baptist Church in Gatesville, TX when visiting his daughter’s family.  He moved to Stoney Brook of Hewitt, TX in 2019, and enjoyed his new surroundings, along with the caring staff and other residents.  He will truly be missed by his friends and family.  Give him a book or let him watch basketball and he was content.  He had a wonderful sense of humor.  He was proud of his Scottish ancestry; his paternal and maternal grandparents emigrated from Scotland, as did his father and two uncles, in 1919. 

He was preceded in death by his wife, Audrey Davidson, his mother, his father and stepmother, Lilian, and son-in-law, Carroll Shirley. 

John is survived by his children: Mike Davidson and wife, Kathy of Hewitt, TX: Jim Davidson and wife, Mary of Waxahachie, TX; John O. (Jack) Davidson and wife, Marilyn of Ocean Shores, WA; and Jane Shirley of Gatesville, TX; grandchildren: Aimee Hennessy and husband, Steve of Robinson, TX; Mick Davidson of  Cedar Park, TX; Jay Davidson of Bellevue, WA; Brant Davidson of Puyallup, WA; Amanda Shirley of Gatesville, TX; Megan Forrester and husband, Drennon of Gatesville, TX; Jeff Hughes and wife, Nicole of Waxahachie, TX; great-grandchildren Riley, Andrew, Dylan, Josh, Bradley, Gunner,  Emma, Hayes and Emmerson: brother, James W. Davidson, of Ecuador; sister-in-law, Erla Williams of Yuma, AZ; in-laws, Terry and Margie Dickman of Aberdeen, SD.

John’s family is forever grateful for the care he received from the staff at Stoney Brook of Hewitt and Bluebonnet Hospice of Waco, TX.

Memorials can be made to Live Oak Baptist Church Benevolence Fund, 113 FM 107, Gatesville, TX 76528.