Donald Shefford Davidson
1924-2021
Donald Shefford Davidson unwound his mortal coil on January 19, 2021, peace-filled, in comfort, with love and of just plain old age. He was in his 97th year.
Born in Montreal, Quebec, on August 14, 1924, to the former Amy Sells of London, England, and Charles Goodwill Davidson of Waterloo, Quebec, Canada.
Don attended Waterloo High School and in 1942 joined the Royal Canadian Escort Navy as a radio operator on the HMCS Springhill patrolling the St. Lawrence Seaway and the North Atlantic Coast. He told harrowing tales of clambering up decks and cables in rollicking seas to de-ice with hammers the potentially top-heavy cables at night, the rum tot rations and of twice being fired upon by the German U-boat’s torpedoes narrowly missing his ship and sadly hitting a sister ship, the Magog. Davidson received several medals of valor.
He returned to Montreal where he attended McGill University and worked at Morgan’s Department Store in advertising. There he met his wife of 69 years, Dorothy Jeanne Farrington. They courted on fishing trips to Brome Lake and Olive Pond, the family’s hunting camp where Dot impressed Don by snagging a huge pickerel -- sideways. They were married in Montreal in 1952 and migrated south to Chicago where Davidson attended the Illinois Institute of Technology. Their son, Christopher Charles, was born in 1954.
New York City called and the Davidsons moved to Mount Tabor, New Jersey, where their second son, Keith Farrington, was born in 1957.
Don began a collaboration with Charles Forberg Associates design firm and they produced award-winning logos and products like the Pan-American Airways iconic globe, early ergonomic office chairs, electric knives, children’s xylophones and even a toy version, battery operated, of the 1964 World’s Fair B.F. Goodrich ferris wheel.
Don holds several patents for inventions of fastening systems and suspended furniture. He also designed traveling exhibits for sculptor Alexander Calder and created the stretch fabric ceiling of the Electric Circus nightclub in1967 New York based on tent caterpillars observed in Mount Tabor.
At home, the Davidsons participated in local theater – Dot acting and Don building ingenious set designs. Don constructed a New York City China Town parade dragon out of wire hoops, paper mâché and fabric complete with talcum powder blown from a balloon pump. Dorothy and the six-person puppet led the town’s unique children’s day parade for years.
They retired and moved back to Waterloo where Davidson’s furniture and sculpture blossomed. His works are internationally recognized. He also painted, made his own clothes, had a dark room and was a lifelong lover of bebop. He had an extraordinarily amazing and productive long life.
He leaves behind his wife Dorothy, sons Christopher and Keith, grandchildren Marla, Seth and Omri, a sister Joan Marshall of Vancouver, BC, her children Louise, Rob, Suzanne, Eve, Ruth and Beth, niece and nephew Jimmy and Pam Davidson of Bedford, Quebec.
He was predeceased by his brother James and niece Jan Marshall.
He was named Shefford for the mountain that could be seen from his childhood window. Now, he has returned.
Greatly loved and sadly missed.
