Ester Elizabeth Davidson

Ester was born in Memphis, Tennessee and was raised in a simple family home at 792 Echols road along with her father John Pugh, her mother Joanna Pugh and her younger brother John (buddy) Pugh. Later she would marry James M. Davidson which all have proceeded her in passing on and crossing over into the gates of heaven before her.

Ester is survived by her son James M. Davidson II and her daughter Mary Elizabeth Gentry, also seven grandchildren, Dillon Davidson, Stevie Alley, Jake Davidson, Freddy Gentry Jr., Ethan Davidson, Mark Gentry and Antwon Gentry; as well as her daughter- in-law Laura Davidson and son-in-law Freddy Gentry Sr.

Ester Elizabeth Pugh was born on November 11th, 1939 at John Gaston Hospital on Veterans Day. Later that day Kate Smith would sing for the first time “God Bless America”. Ester was born into a very simple impoverished life between her father at the time being a night watchman at Corbitt Motor Car Co. and her mother doing the best she could raising Ester and John as a housewife, she would also double as a housekeeper for other families to help provide for her family.

Ester was a very positive, kind, beautiful and optimistic child that was satisfied with the life she was born into. She loved designing and modeling clothes she and her mother made.

Ester overflowed with personality and was very popular with her peers. She attended Messick High School from which she graduated May 25th, 1958. She and her family loved God and their church which was Immanuel Lutheran Church where they attended regularly. She would help her mother work in the kitchen during potluck dinners and attend the nursery ministering to the small youth. She took confirmation class and in her class she would meet her future husband. After a long friendship and a four year tour of duty in the Navy they would eventual marry there at the very same church where they met. There Ester Pugh became Ester Davidson uniting their families and making Immanuel Lutheran the family church home. James and Ester would move into an apartment while saving for their dream home. He would work for his father W.C. Davidson’s Construction business, while she would work at International Harvester as a clerk.

Finally June 11th, 1967 James and Ester Davidson would close on their dream home located at 3773 Greenish Place in the Highland View subdivision. There they would build a simple life in an average neighborhood and uncomplicated until…December 22nd, 1970 Ester would give birth to a baby boy James M. Davidson II. Besides getting use to all the changes that come with motherhood she would get lucky that her son had taken after her calm, gentle nature and was fairly an easy child to raise. Ester went through ten years of motherhood where she taught, cared, loved, entertained and even disciplined her child on occasion and behold she was ready to give birth to her second child a baby girl Mary Elizabeth Davidson a whole new world in mothering now a girl to raise. Which took after her father’s energetic and restless personality curious about everything stopping for nothing. Ester did as she had always done took it head on fearlessly with the same love, compassion and acceptance. She never complained always taking care of their needs above her own, there to help, pick them up and dust them off, to be a sympathetic ear to listen or shoulder to cry on, and there to offer her advice if needed. She would most of the time offer “Let’s just pray about it and see.”

Ester was that mother that also cared about others. She would gather us and our friends in the hottest part of the day give us Kool-Aid and as we cooled off in the shade of our porch she would talk to us about Jesus and how he loved us.

Years passed before the blinking of an eye it seems. The kids have become adults they one by one marry and move out to start their simple lives that they were blessed to have experienced as children. She got to see her son and daughter become parents themselves and see her grandchildren grow. Then the older you get the more your health breaks down unfortunately that brings all sorts of medical challenges that would get to be too much and her husband James passed ahead of her. Once again she never lost her faith, love, kindness or compassion for others even until her very last breath in her bed at her daughter Mary’s where she was well taken care of and surrounded with love in a simple house.

Even though my sister and I are extremely saddened by the passing of our mother. We are overjoyed at the thought of her being met and finally looking into the eyes of the one who loves us the most her Savior Jesus as well as being united with our Dad, her mother and father and little brother in Heaven.

Funeral service for Ester Elizabeth Davidson (Pugh) will take place at Memphis Funeral Home & Memorial Gardens@ 3700 N. Germantown Parkway, Bartlett, TN. 38133

Visitation/Reception is Tuesday, May 2nd, 2023 from 5pm to 8pm and funeral will be Wednesday,

May 3rd, 2023 at 2pm. Burial will follow in Memorial Gardens.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.MemphisFuneralGermantownParkway.com for the Davidson family.