Joyce Davidson, 97, of Middletown, Rhode Island died on November 22, 2024. She was the wife of the late John R. Davidson.
Born on May 1, 1927, in Wantage, England, she was the daughter of Walter and Beatrice Binding. She grew up in England during World War II and met a young US serviceman, Charlie McCarthy. They soon married and upon the end of the war, they moved to Newport and settled in the Fifth Ward. Charlie was on the Newport Fire Department and passed in 1969.
Joyce married John Davidson in 1971. They lived in Newport, Middletown and Portsmouth. After the death of John in 2021, Joyce moved to Blenheim Newport assisted living.
Throughout her life, Joyce enjoyed singing and participated in the St. Augustin’s Church choir and later in the Portsmouth Senior Center choir. Joyce was also a talented seamstress and knitter, making clothing for the children and mending garments. Joyce loved to paint, do needlepoint and garden and would spend hours planting flowers and pulling weeds.
Joyce is survived by her brother, Jeffrey Binding in Wales, UK, her daughter, Nancy (Billy) Gomes, her son, Raymond McCarthy and her step-daughters, Maureen Davidson (Artie Shaffell), Ann Marie Davidson (Bob Abenante) and Catherine Duke. She also leaves her grandchildren, Brian Gomes, Brittany Mastrostefano, Troy Davidson, Heather Davidson-Vlachos, Ryan Wicks, Robyn Kosinski, Rachel Wicks-Bucolo, RJ Wicks, Randy Wicks, Lindsey Fasca, Matthew Duke and Jack Duke and 8 great-grandchildren. She also leaves several nieces and nephews in England and the United States. Joyce was pre-deceased by her sisters, Audrey Waite and Joan Terry in England and her step-son, Tim Davidson.
Funeral services will be held on Saturday, December 7 with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 am in St. Barnabas Church, 1697 East Main Road, Portsmouth. Burial will follow in St. Columba Catholic Cemetery.
The family would like to thank the staffs of Blenheim Newport for caring for Joyce these last few years and more recently Royal Middletown.
Donations in her memory may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital www.stjude.org/give or the Robert Potter League for Animals, Oliphant Lane, Middletown, RI 02842 www.potterleague.org/donate.
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