Ray Davidson

Ray Abner Davidson, age 96, of Grand Rapids, Michigan passed away peacefully and went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, August 30, 2022. He was born May 26, 1926, in Detroit to the late, Donald and Ida (Weber) Davidson. Ray married Dorothy Jean Morrison on September 9, 1950. They celebrated 67 years of marriage before Dorothy passed away on October 14, 2017. Ray grew up in Detroit and also lived in Livonia, Brighton, New Port Richey FL, and Grand Rapids. In 1944, at the age of 17, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving mainly in the Pacific during WWII as a Radarman on the USS Boise. Ray's military service is further described below the obituary. Following his discharge he went to work for Michigan Bell Telephone as an installer, repairman, and testman, retiring after 35 years of service. After retirement Ray and Dorothy wintered in Florida for 27 years. Ray enjoyed an active retirement, spending time with family and friends, traveling, golfing, bowling, square dancing, playing cards, and volunteering at his church where he participated in the building of their new church. Ray will be remembered as a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great grandfather. Survivors include his two daughters, Nancy (Alan) Simpson and Beth Van Over; grandchildren, Andrew (Jen) Vanover and Meredith (Chris) Podehl; great grandchildren, Eli, Hazel, and Reuben Vanover, and Henry and Maeve Podehl. A celebration of Ray's life will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, September 24th at Thornapple Covenant Church, 6595 Cascade Road SE, Grand Rapids, 49546, with visitation one hour prior and light refreshments to follow the service. Interment will take place at Fort Custer National Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be given to Mel Trotter Ministries or Samaritan's Purse. The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at Sunrise of Cascade and The Terraces at Samaritas, who provided loving care to Dorothy and Ray during their later years. Arrangements are entrusted to Michigan Cremation & Funeral Care, Grand Rapids, 616-452-3006. Ray A. Davidson U.S. Navy Grand Rapids, Michigan Ray Davidson was born on May 26, 1926 in Detroit, Michigan. He enlisted in the U.S. Navy on May 18, 1944 at the age of 17 and his first day of active service was May 27th, one day after his 18th birthday. After completing training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois, Ray boarded a troop transport train to San Francisco, followed by a transport ship which took him to his first assignment in the Pacific on the USS Boise, a light cruiser. The Boise took part in operations along the northern shore of New Guinea, including the occupation of Morotai in September 1944. The cruiser moved northward as the battle front advanced into the Philippines, taking part in multiple invasions and covering actions. Ray recalls the Leyte invasion, Mindoro landings, and the Lingayen Gulf landings with General MacArthur embarked, and the Luzon covering force. The Boise then moved to Borneo for the Tarakan landings. Ray initially went aboard the Boise as a Seaman. His duties included basic chores, such as swabbing the decks. When the ship was under fire or covering landings, Ray loaded ammunition for the anti-aircraft guns. He later trained to become a Radarman, watching the radar screens for enemy ships or planes, often throughout the night. Troops regularly slept on deck due to the heat and absolutely no lights were allowed. Ray recalls the challenge of locating his duty replacement in the dark. While in the Pacific, Ray took ill, was sent to sick bay on the Boise, then transferred to the USS Hope hospital ship, and then to shore at Hollandia, New Guinea for care. He was diagnosed with arthritis and rheumatic fever and recovered to return to duty on the Boise. In June 1945, the Boise carried 5 Star General Douglas MacArthur on a 35,000 mile tour of the Central and Southern Philippines and Brunei Bay, Borneo. General MacArthur occupied the Captain's quarters on the main deck. Ray recalls regularly seeing "Old Mac with his corncob pipe." The sailors normally wore jeans and white T-shirts or no shirts on the ship, but when the General was aboard, they wore T-shirts and navy hats that had been dyed blue. Each morning General MacArthur would disembark on a special gang plank and go ashore on a special boat to inspect the troops and then come back aboard that afternoon to begin travel at 5 p.m. to the next stop. The Boise returned to the Long Beach Naval Yard near San Pedro, California in July 1945. Ray was at home in Detroit on leave when Japan surrendered. At the conclusion of his leave, he returned to the Boise in CA, and subsequently sailed through the Panama Canal, arriving in Brooklyn, NY in October. The Boise's decks, which held two seaplanes, were refitted to ship's quarters. The ship then made two trips to Europe (Portsmouth, England and LeHavre, France) to transport troops back to New York. The Boise was to be decommissioned on July 1, 1945 and thus, troop levels were decreased. Ray was subsequently assigned to the USS Chandeleur, a seaplane tender, in Philadelphia until the time of his honorable discharge in May 1946. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Ray Davidson, please visit our flower store.