Bettie Davidson

Bettie Goldberg Davidson, loving wife, mother, and grandmother (Memaw, Mema) passed away at her home on Saturday, January 19, 2013. She was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on April 26, 1928 to Rose and Leon Thomas Goldberg. She had eight brothers and sisters. Bettie, or BD as friends called her met her husband James D. Davidson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania while he was on leave from the Navy. After a whirl wind romance they married. She headed to Texas, he headed back to war. This July they would have been married 69 years. When arriving in Texas at just sixteen years old, Bettie stayed with her husband’s Aunt Polly and Uncle Theo Bellamy in San Antonio, TX, living there until her husband returned from war in 1945. After James returned from war, Bettie and he moved to Midland where they set up house and began to establish lifelong roots, joining First Baptist Church where she soon accepted the Lord as her Savior and was baptized. Bettie and Jim then had their first of six children, Jamie, in Midland before James joined the Texas Department of Public safety, starting a series of adventurous moves across the state from Austin, to Seguin, to Georgetown, TX where the next two children were born, John Darrell Davidson their only son, and daughter Bettie Jo Davidson. Next they were transferred to Anderson, Navasota, Port Arthur and then Fredericksburg, TX where the small town welcomed the arrival of their twin girls Janet and Judy. They loved the Texas hill country but soon they were transferred to Midland where their sixth child a daughter Marla was born, and where they would live the rest of their lives. Throughout the years Bettie attended college at Southwestern University in Georgetown, and Sam Houston State University in Huntsville completing her associates degree, and worked various jobs to help the family from waitressing, to cooking. She then was a Police Dispatch Officer in Midland, and then became an Executive Office Manager for DTI, and Exploration Graphics in Midland. Bettie was an exceptional cook and loved to spend time in the kitchen teaching her grandchildren, and great grandchildren how to carry on family traditions including Memaw’s Famous Pumpkin Pie. She loved to plant flowers, and to work, always staying busy to help her family, but most of all she loved being a mother, grandmother and great grandmother. She was a strong woman, with a soft heart and would put anyone’s needs above her own. Bettie always showed her love with actions not just words.

She is preceded in death by her husband James D. Davidson, her daughter Bettie Jo Davidson, her mother and father Rose and Leon Thomas Goldberg, and her brother Leon, and sisters Jean and Shirley.

She is survived by daughter, Jamie Thompson and husband, Doyle Thompson; son, John Davidson and wife, Freda Davidson; daughter, Janet Hall and husband, Russell Hall; daughter, Judy Hinkle and husband, Nolan Hinkle; daughter, Marla Morton and husband, Rick Morton. Also left to cherish her memory are her granddaughters, Dustie Johnson and husband Guylan “Jamie” Johnson, Tammie Logsdon and husband William Logsdon, Tiffany Locke and husband Brady Locke, and Jodi Williams and husband Ed Williams; grandsons, Matthew James Hinkle and wife Sara, Ryan Davidson Hall, Logan Morton, and Chance Morton; great granddaughters, Ariel Windsor, Jordan Williams; and great grandsons, Miles Goran, Hayden Johnson, Cameron Logsdon, and Cade Williams. Also, she is survived by three brothers, Kenneth Goldberg, Herbert Goldberg, and Martin Goldberg, and one sister, Marlyn Messina and many more dear family and friends.

Visitation will be Tuesday evening January 22 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Ellis Funeral Home. Funeral services will be Wednesday, January 23, 2013 at 11:00 a.m. at the Ellis Funeral Home Chapel, with interment to follow at Resthaven North.

Pallbearers will be Russell Hall, Rick Morton, William Logsdon, Guylan "Jamie" Johnson, Brady Locke, and Edward Williams, Glen Conner, Darrell Conner, and Jimmy Conner. Honorary pall-bearers are John Davidson, Doyle Thompson, Kenneth Goldberg and Tommie Conner.

Services will be under the direction of David Johnson of First Baptist Church. Arrangements are under the direction of Ellis Funeral Home. Condolences may be made at: www.ellisfunerals.com. The family requests memorials be made to Hospice of Midland 911 West Texas, Midland Texas 79701. The family of Bettie G. Davidson wishes to thank the home care givers Ashley Rodriquez, Mary Bill, Jessica Munoz, and Sylvia Rangel, and the caregivers and nurses of Hospice of Midland, TX for all of their wonderful help and support during this time.