Richard Sterling Davidson, age 85, of Merritt Island passed away October 23rd at his residence. He was born in Birmingham, AL in 1928 and grew up there with eight brothers and sisters. After attending the University of Alabama he went through Navy flight training and received his wings in 1949. Capt. Davidson flew over 65 types of aircraft and had 12,000 plus hours of flight time. He had tours of duty in Korea, was the Executive Officer on the USS Coral Sea during the war in Vietnam and became the CO of the Naval Aviation Schools Command in Pensacola. After retiring from the Navy he became chief pilot for a Cincinnati corporation. Later in life he and his wife Jane became avid campers driving their motor home throughout the United States and Canada with several trips to Alaska. While there Capt. Davidson helped control the salmon, halibut and cod populations. His motto was, "Fish Fear Me." Richard is survived by his sister Joyce Steadman, his wife Jane, his sons Rick and Jim and his daughter Anne and their families. A celebration of Richards’s life will take place at 2:00pm on Friday, November 1, 2013 at Wylie Baxley Funeral Home followed by a reception and fellowship. Interment will be held at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery.
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