Saltville, Va.

"Jesus Christ is my Savior." Those are the words our dad, Charles Thomas Davidson, spoke a year ago when he was serving yet another stint in the hospital and his health had taken a sudden turn for the worse. He had ended up on a ventilator for a short period of time, and we had no idea if this was it. After all, Daddy had a plethora of health issues: COPD, diabetes, constant infections, etc. We kept vigil by his bed, holding our breath, while the ventilator helped him get his. Not even twenty-four hours later, he was off the vent and talking, giving us orders (albeit somewhat weakly), and professing his faith in the Lord. Before too long, he was back to being completely lucid and chatty. Once again, he had proved just how tough he really was.

Our dad knew loss. In 1997, while doing some logging, a tree took its revenge and felled him. The accident left Daddy a quadriplegic, reliant on a ventilator for a few days (so last year's episode with a ventilator wasn't his first rodeo, as they say), and in a rehab hospital to learn to walk, feed himself, and such all over again. The man couldn't even roll himself over in the bed without help, but six and one-half weeks later, he walked out of the hospital with only a walker as an aid.

In 2006, Daddy faced what we know was the greatest loss of his entire life when our mom passed away from cancer. Yes, we all knew her passing was imminent, so we were back to keeping vigil and holding our breath. Daddy was doing everything he could to help make her last days comfortable. He wanted to be right there with her during her last moments on earth. But, as Fate would have it, he would wind up in the hospital with several kidney stones the week Mom died. As bad as kidney stones in any number can possibly be, for Daddy, nothing compared to the pain of not being at home with Mom when he felt she needed him the most. While Daddy was in the hospital, Mom passed away, and he didn't even get to come home until the next evening. On Friday, November 17, 2006, on what would have been our parents' thirty-ninth anniversary, Daddy was at Henderson Funeral Home, making Mom's funeral arrangements.

Several years ago, Daddy underwent a routine knee replacement surgery, which ended up being anything except routine. Let's just say the procedure went all wonky, and the complications he suffered landed him in the rehab part of the nursing home. He developed an aggressive infection, and by the time Daddy got to a doctor who might be able to help him, the muscles in his leg had deteriorated so much that they couldn't support a replacement knee for the replacement knee. The orthopedic surgeon said Daddy had two choices: either have his leg amputated or agree to have a metal rod that would provide support for the bones and muscles inserted in that leg. He opted for the metal rod; thus began a whole new phase of his adapting to a challenging and unusual circumstance. But do you think he was held back by those circumstances? No! He "inherited" a mobility chair that he referred to as his "electric chair," which he named Bruce because it had come from my father-in-law who had done his own transitioning from this earth and no longer needed it. Daddy sold his fire-red Chevy pickup truck and bought a BraunAbility van and spent quite a bit of time zipping up and down I-81 to his doctor's appointments, Walmart, and Lowe's. Once again, Daddy defied the odds and made the best of a terrible situation.

Over the years, Daddy dealt with persistent issues with his blood sugar, blood pressure, skin wounds from having to spend so much time lying in a bed, hearing loss, a little forgetfulness (But who cares if anybody heard the same anecdote or news update a second time in a thirty-minute conversation?), and oxygen depletion. There was never anything wrong with his mind, though. He could recall stories about folks and experiences from decades ago. He could still make pastureland deals with Curtis, Charlie, and Tanner Smith, ones that benefitted all parties. He was a jokester, a flirt, and a schemer (but not in a deceitful way). He loved perusing Facebook Marketplace for good buys on tractors and excavators and provided, in detail, his plan to start one small-scale business or another. He was a bit of a dreamer, but that is part of what kept him going.

However, Daddy was a very sick man, and he was tired of fighting the good fight. He was the one who decided on Saturday, March 29, 2025, that he wanted to stop the treatments and medications intended to address the health issues that had sent him to the hospital this last time. The doctor administered medications to keep him calm, restful, and pain-free. All through the night that followed, Daddy slept soundly, peacefully, deeply. We were back to keeping vigil and holding our breath, while he spent his final hours breathing his last.

Earlier in the day on Saturday, Daddy said he was seeing things. When asked what he saw, he described a man, "big and tall," with "long hair." First the man was in the corner of the room, then at the foot of the bed. The man was talking to Daddy. Daddy said, "It looks like Jesus Christ." Later he said, "It sounds like Jesus Christ." He wondered if Jesus was coming to get him—or waiting for him. I was the only one with Daddy at the time, and while I found the account of the incident rather comforting, I wasn't about to turn around and check it out for myself. I couldn't even feign bravery. Besides, it was Daddy's moment.

On Sunday, March 30, 2025, Charles Davidson, age 81, passed away at 3:47 p.m. The day prior, he had said repeatedly how much he loved us all. He professed his faith in Christ. He took it in when Donna, Beth, and I promised to behave ourselves in his absence. And then he slept.

Our dad was born on June 6, 1943, to William "Bud" and Lucy Wyrick Davidson, and grew up on Beaver Creek in Saltville, Virginia. He attended schools in Rich Valley. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, he worked for Olin Mathieson, which was located just outside of downtown Saltville but later hired on at Westinghouse in Abingdon, Virginia, where he worked for nearly twenty-four years. When the plant shut down in the 1990s, he was left in limbo as far as a job was concerned, and then the accident happened. He never worked again. He loved farming: raising cattle, growing tobacco, and putting up hay. He loved his family.

In addition to our mom, Barbara Mustard Davidson, and his parents, Daddy was preceded in death by his sister, Edith Maiden; his brother-in-law, Dale Maiden; his brother, Graham "Ras" (or "Bear") Davidson; his sister-in-law, Doris Davidson; and a very special nephew, Charles Allen Maiden. He was also preceded in death by daughter Stephanie Davidson/ McCready.

Daddy is survived by his children: Susan King (Tony), Piney Flats, Tennessee; Donna Hall (Freddie), Abingdon, Virginia; and Beth Helton (Vern), Saltville, Virginia. His surviving grandchildren include Stephanie Taylor (John Hood), Troutdale, Virginia; Dustin Russell (Kasey Caviness) of the home; Chase Taylor (Samantha), Tazewell, Virginia; special step-granddaughter, Kayla Davidson (Josh), Saltville, Virginia; and special step-grandson, Timmy Helton, and his family: wife, Brittany, and daughters, Hannah and Kyrsten, Meadowview, Virginia. Then there were the ones he loved more than anyone else on earth (and the rest of us were OK with it!), his great-grandchildren: Ryker Reed Thomas (10), Evolet Sky "Evy" Davidson (3), River Wayne Russell (2), and Kase Adler Hood (4 months). He is also survived by several nieces and nephews, great-nephews, step-grandchildren, step-great-grandchildren, and friends. And Susie, the cat, who will miss him terribly.

The family would be remiss in not recognizing some extra-special folks. First, there is Roger Crouse (wife Pat), Saltville, Virginia, whom Daddy referred to at his best friend and his brother. Daddy was always grateful for and happy to hear from cousins-in-law Dot and Rick Cupp who were unfailingly loyal and good to him. The family would also like to recognize special caregiver Tracy Yarber, who served as Daddy's home health nurse for ten years and who cared for him and loved him fiercely. Daddy enjoyed hearing stories of Tracy's children, especially Lynnzie, whose Spirit-filled heart amazed him. He could always count on Lynnzie to be his Prayer Warrior.

The visitation for Charles Thomas Davidson is scheduled for Wednesday, April 2, 2025, from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. at Henderson Funeral Home, 148 East Main Street, Saltville, Virginia. The funeral service, conducted by Rev. Bob Neace and Pastor Scott Spence, will follow immediately after the visitation. Masonic rites will be conducted by the local chapter. A private service will be held in the Mount Rose Cemetery mausoleum, Glade Spring, Virginia, on Thursday, April 3, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. Pallbearers and honorary pallbearers will be Dustin Russell, John Hood, Josh Davidson, Timmy Helton, Curtis Smith, Tanner Smith, Charlie Smith, and Daniel Duff.

Daddy expressed that he would like folks to save their flower money and use it to make donations to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital (https://www.stjude.org/give.html) or Shriner's Hospitals for Children (https://www.shrinerschildrens.org/en/giving).

And that is, in part, our dad's story. If you want to know anything else, just ask. We would consider it an honor to tell you more sometime.

Online condolences may be expressed at drhendersonfuneralhome.com.  The D.R. Henderson Funeral Home is honored to serve the family of Charles Thomas Davidson.