SPOTLIGHT ON...
Owen & Joan Davidson
Story written by Gary Fletcher
Owen and Joan Davidson have been a part of Coronado Community UMC for such a long time you might feel like they’ve always been here. In fact, Owen was born in Cleveland, Ohio and Joan in Wilmington, Delaware. They met in the early 1960s at Baldwin-Wallace College in Berea, Ohio where each had come to pursue a degree in Health/Physical Education. Owen graduated first, and taught in his minor field, English, while Joan completed her degree.
In 1966, Owen and Joan were married. After a short time in Ohio they decided to follow the sun and moved to Florida. They arrived in New Smyrna Beach where Owen taught English and coached at NSB Junior High School. Soon after, they welcomed their first child, daughter Debbie. Two years later son Tom arrived, followed three years further on by son John.
In 1970 Owen and Joan joined Coronado Community UMC. They had all three of the children baptized here. They remember the church in those years as smaller, quaint, with a wide range of ages. They were good friends with pastor Richard Ross and his wife Sue, spending time with them in both church and social settings. They worked alongside and were impressed by Day School staff such as Joan Harvey. Joan was the Day School Treasurer and Director for many years. They participated in events at the Church “Retreat House” on South Atlantic, where outside groups would come to stay for missions events, and they were volunteer leaders in the Methodist Youth Fellowship leading recreational events at the church.
Joan got a job teaching Physical Education at Chisholm Elementary School. They were co-founders of the New Smyrna Beach Tennis Club and Joan coached youth tennis for many years. Joan and Owen participated in many tennis tournaments and won several state tennis championships. Joan was also a part of a team that won a USTA national championship. It seems to run in the family, because Joan’s mother Elizabeth Worth and their son Tom Davidson also won a national team championship.
In 1972 Owen left teaching to become the Parks and Recreation Director of New Smyrna Beach, a position he held for 17 years. He led a team that planned recreational activities, family oriented events, and sports including soccer, baseball, softball, and basketball. In 1989 he went on to become Parks and Recreation Director for the City of Daytona Beach. Owen continued in that position until he retired in 1995.
Owen and Joan shared a story from about that time. In 1997 a fierce tornado swept through New Smyrna Beach. They were out of town, at a tennis tournament in Tucson. Left home alone was son John. The tornado came through late at night. John was at home, downstairs, watching football on television. He said he’d not been concerned with the roaring winds. He just kept turning up the volume so he could hear the game. Then the roof came off the house. John took cover. Neighbors came to help, and John was not seriously injured. The house was another matter. That is why the Davidsons have the same address as they had back in the 1980s, but not the same house. It took them a year to rebuild.
Owen and Joan have been participants in Coronado Community UMC for over 55 years. Owen went on a mission trip to Honduras, where he helped restore a stone church building in the hills near Tegucigalpa following a hurricane. Joan went on a mission trip to Guatemala with ‘Salud y Paz,’ in support of the Susanna Wesley School, which helps children with their language skills so they can get a better education. Owen then traveled to Puerto Rico on another mission trip!
When asked to name influential people in their lives, Owen mentioned his parents, the church congregation and pastor Richard Ross. Joan mentioned her family with its background in the Quaker tradition going back through Philadelphia to England.
In retirement Joan and Owen stay busy. Owen runs a pickleball club in his neighborhood, Son John works full time at Ocean Properties Real Estate, and is the seasonal scorekeeper for NSB High School sporting events. Joan retired from tennis and now plays pickleball, but is mostly found in the garden. They enjoy yard work, reading and keeping up with their eight grandkids and seven great grandkids. They have seniors’ lunch daily at the Live Oak Cultural Center, an important part of their social life.
The Davidsons have become even more active in Coronado Community UMC in recent years. Owen is participating on the Scholarship Committee, serves as a Trustee, and volunteers with the ‘Colors of Hunger’ food program. When asked to describe how they feel about Coronado Community UMC, they said, “However long I’ll be around, it’ll always be part of my life,” and an emphatic, “So many good people, staff and community ministries!”
All who know these two amazing people recognize the positive energy they bring. In fact, the City of New Smyrna Beach has named Owen the Grand Marshall of this year’s Christmas Parade. I’m sure Joan will be right there beside him. In their energetic and impressive 60-plus years together, Owen and Joan have been a strong and reliable force for good. We’re glad they’re here.
