Joseph Preston "Joe" Davidson Jr.

Joseph “Joe” Preston Davidson Jr., 99.5, of Bluefield, WV renounced his citizenship to this planet we call earth and went to be with his Heavenly Father on October 2, 2020 at 8:30am. He carried the legacy and heritage of being the oldest living Davidson. These were the Davidsons that founded the city of Bluefield. Joe Davidson’s fourth great grandparents, John Goolman and Mary Draper Davidson, were sitting on a hill where Central Jr. High School was located and before that Bluefield High School. Mary was given the title of postmaster for the town and was required by the U.S. Post Office to have a name in order for mail to be delivered. Observing that the landscape was blue from “chicory” in bloom, she exclaimed, “Oh look at the pretty blue fields”, thus the town came to be known as Bluefield. Joe’s third great grandfather, Joseph Davidson, (son of John Goolman Davidson), built the Davidson Cabin in 1811, which is currently located at Bluefield Stadium Park. Joe was born in Bluefield, VA to his father Joseph Preston Davidson, (a farmer) and mother Ruby Lee Suiter Davidson, (a school teacher) on March 16, 1921. He had a stepmother, Sally Litz Davidson. She was an Opera Singer in New York, NY. She sung in many famous operas and also performed at New York’s Waldorf Astoria for President Coolidge. Joe worked at Cecil Mullens gas station from 1939-1942 and after that enlisted in the Army Aircorp but only served about 6 months when he was called home to run the farm because his father passed away. In 1946, Joe began working for Andy Clark Ford as the parts manager. He then moved to Bluefield, WV to make a better life with his wife and daughter in 1951 where he would remain for the rest of his life. Joe retired in 1986 after working with Andy Clark for 40 years. He was a member of First Methodist Church of Bluefield, VA. Joe would most likely be seen with a wad of chewing tobacco in his mouth, wearing his glasses just over the tip of his nose, tending his bees. He loved his sports; was a huge WVU Mountaineers fan as well as an Atlanta Braves baseball fan. He was also an avid gardener and jack of all trades as a mechanic, carpenter, plumber and electrician. He loved making burgers on the grill with his family while drinking a nice cold glass of buttermilk with pepper in it. He was known for exemplifying an amazing amount of patience and loved visiting family and friends any opportunity he could. Joe is survived by his two grandsons, John Joseph Earls of Atlanta, GA and John Frederick Earls III of Bluefield, WV; great granddaughter, Kendra Jade Earls and numerous other nephews and nieces. A very special thank you to Kim Bishop for being ‘Bigdaddys’ caretaker for all these years and the fine young man ‘Doodlebug’. Joe is preceded in death by his wife, Virginia “Ginny” Wagner Davidson; daughter, Ruby Davidson Earls; brother, Suiter Crocket Davidson. His presence will be greatly missed by his family and all those he touched in his life. Visitation and Funeral services will be held at Mercer Funeral & Crematory this Wednesday, October 7, 2020 at 1:00pm with a procession to the gravesite after at 2:00pm. Those wishing to share memories or condolence messages with the family may do so by visiting www.MercerFuneralHome.com Mercer Funeral Home & Crematory is serving the family of Joseph “Joe” Davidson. They are asking everyone to abide by the social distancing rules and wearing masks.

Joseph Preston "Joe" Davidson Jr.

March 16, 1921 - October 2, 2020