Obituary of Constance Helen Alexandra Davidson
Constance Helen Alexandra (Hay) Davidson, age 92, passed away on January 19, 2020. Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, she was the daughter of the late Charles Leonard Hay and Perle MacMurray. After graduating from Saint John High School, Connie worked for Eastern Securities before marrying a navy veteran-turned-furrier named Eric (Pete) Davidson in 1948. When Eric began to study for the Baptist ministry, Connie bravely took on the challenge of being a pastor’s wife.
Over the next 50 years, they served in a variety of communities: River Hebert, NS, Kentville, NS, St. Martin’s, NB, Cherryfield, ME, Summerville, NS, Stephenville, NL, Washburn, ME, Moncton, NB, Saint John, NB, Fredericton, NB, Campbellton, NB and Grafton, NB. Connie’s job description included leading mission groups and Sunday School classes, overseeing potluck suppers and concerts, entertaining missionaries, singing in the choir, and attending denominational conferences while raising three children and a menagerie of pets. She once served as the president of the Stephenville Amalgamated School’s Home and School Association, and over the years worked in hospitals in Wolfville, Saint John and Fredericton.
Connie baked doughnuts for the student union cafeteria to support Eric during his studies at the Acadia School of Theology and later worked as a doctor’s secretary to put her three children through university. She survived the cancer that her doctors discovered in 1989. She was an enthusiastic canoeist and camper, as well as a knitter, cook, singer and piano player. She had a keen sense for a bargain and was an avid reader. Although she travelled to British Columbia, California and Bermuda, she loved going to the family’s camp on the St. John River most of all.
Connie is survived by her children: Stephen (Gillian), Ruth (Wayne) Fulks, and Timothy (Sheila), five grandchildren, two great-grandsons, and dozens of nieces and nephews. Her family has appreciated the loving care of the staff at Rocmaura Nursing Home since 2017. Connie was predeceased by her three older siblings, Malcolm “Tim” (Valerie) Hay, Jean (Henry) Carson, and Jamie “Jim” (Betty-Jean) Hay. Her husband Eric died seven months before their 50th wedding anniversary in 1998.
Arrangements are under the care of Brenan’s Funeral Home, 111 Paradise Row, Saint John, NB (634-7424). A service celebrating Connie’s life will be held at a time to be set in the spring. Interment will be in the Cedar Hill Cemetery in West Saint John at a later date. Donations may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Baptist Ministries, or the Canadian Bible Society. Online condolences may be placed at www.BrenansFH.com
