Obituary: Raymond B. Davidson
NEWTON — Raymond B. Davidson, 92, passed away on May 6,
2012, at Asbury Park in Newton.
A memorial service will be at 1 p.m. Saturday (June 16,
2012) at Zeiner Funeral Home in Florence. A private graveside service was May
12 at the Hillcrest Cemetery in Florence. Memorial donations are suggested to
the Florence Public Library, in care of Zeiner Funeral Home, 205 Elm, Marion,
KS 66861.
Davidson was born on Sept. 28, 1919, in Walnut. He was the
sixth of eight children born to James E. and Mary Etta Boyd Davidson. On Jan.
26, 1947, he married Eleanor Grimwood at her parents’ home in Cedar Point. They
made their home near Florence, where he was a cattle rancher.
He was a devout Christian and attended Youngtown United
Methodist Church from 1957 until the church closed in 2001. He sang tenor in
the Youngtown Men’s Quartet for 44 years. In the early ’80s, he began public
performances of cowboy poetry, singing and playing guitar and harmonica. He
performed with his son, Jeff, and recorded two CDs with him. For about 25
years, they provided entertainment for the Flint Hills Overland Wagon Train.
He is survived by his wife, Eleanor of Asbury Park in
Newton; sons, Steve and his wife, Judy of Newton, and Jeff and his wife, Kelley
of Eureka; grandchildren, Greg of Knoxville, Tenn., Doug of Moberly, Mo., Grant
of Hays and Meghan of Columbus; a brother, Joe of Denver; and several nieces
and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents; three brothers,
John, Fred and Bert; and three sisters, Ruby Reid, Florence Arb and Jocie
Pearl.
