William D. Davidson, M.D., lived intoxicated by life, loved with all his heart, endured a full measure of life’s sorrows, and stepped into the arms of God on May 11, 2012. He died peacefully at home in full gratitude for all of God’s blessings with his beloved wife, Eliana, at his side.
Complex and accomplished, Bill’s empathy made him intolerant of human suffering and injustice; he pitted his considerable energies against both throughout his life. A fourth-generation physician, as a surgeon he found the limitations of his craft to heal the human body would push him to become a psychiatrist so as to also heal the inner being. Those insights inspired him to apply his healing arts to the study of inter-cultural conflict. Encouraged by many, he pioneered the study of psycho-cultural aspects of conflict resolution. His Institute for Psychiatry and Foreign Affairs laid the foundation for unprecedented dialogue on the nature of the Arab, Israeli and Palestinian conflict, and spread the seeds of greater under-standing between U.S. and Soviet scholars at the height of the Cold War. He sought not personal recognition, but end results that fostered peace and understanding among adversaries.
His adventuresome spirit took him everywhere – to apprentice with a Guatemalan curandero for his Master’s thesis in anthropology, lead a medical delegation to the People’s Republic of China in the early 1970’s, sail trans-Atlantic on a tall ship in 1976, to Cyprus, Greece, Egypt, Turkmenistan, Azerbaijan, and beyond. Like his body, his mind was never still, always exploring, expanding, seeking to understand the greater plan.
Bill was so much in and of this world, yet he kept a never-ceasing mystical conversation with God and the Saints, finding Providence in the smallest of things, the most casual of meetings, the simplest of gestures. And it was the strength of that faith that sustained him upon realizing that his physical body would soon cease to be.
He is survived by Eliana, his wife of 30 years, his children Christopher, John, Peter, Bernard, Miriam and Kirsten, and nine grandkids. He is now reunited with his son, Benedict. Carolyn and Florence also walked with him on this earth for a time.
Joy, wonder, love, tenderness, action, courage, strength, decisiveness, and creativity were just some attributes of this son of God. He touched and comforted so many during his life and did so much good. We look forward to being reunited with him in God’s arms and continuing our journey together at the appointed time.
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