Norma R. Davidson

Norma Rosamond (Calhoun) Davidson passed away in the early hours of January 14, 2021, joining her late husband of over six decades, Robert Allen Davidson, Sr. She is survived by her three children; Maureen Kathryn Davidson-Davis, Robert Allen Davidson Jr., and Richard Brantley Davidson; four grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren. She was 99 years old at the time of her passing.

Born as Norma Rosamond Calhoun in Palo Alto, Pennsylvania on October 10, 1921, she was one of 11 children and grew up in Pottsville, Pennsylvania. Her father was William John Calhoun, the newspaper editor of the morning edition of the Pottsville Republican newspaper, and her mother was Helen Margaretta Womelsdorf.

During World War II, Norma enlisted in the Navy Women's Reserve of the US Naval Reserve (WAVES) in November of 1943 and served until the beginning of the Korean War. She loved serving in the Navy and told many tales of her time there. She was a founding member of the Birmingham WAVES group and was its Treasurer for many years. This group was responsible for exhibits of women in military service at the Southern Museum of Flight in Birmingham, AL. She, and others from the Birmingham WAVES group, were enthusiastic supporters and fund raisers for the Women in Military Service for America Memorial in the Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, VA.

At the end of WW II, she was stationed in Hawaii. News of the war’s end came while she was crossing a field at night. Startled by flares and the sounds of gunfire, she feared the base was being bombed again. Her short-lived terror vanished when a sailor ran by shouting that the war was over.

Norma continued to serve in the Navy after WW II, eventually meeting the man who would become her husband and father of her children. They were married in the summer of 1950, and she retired from the Navy in the spring of 1951. A few months later, she gave birth to her first child, Maureen. Two years later she gave birth to her oldest son, Robert. Her youngest son, Richard, was born in 1964.

Blessed with a sharp intellect, a phenomenal memory, and the grace of a social butterfly, Norma easily formed friendships that lasted decades. She was fond of games, and taught all her children how to play chess, backgammon, and many types of card games. Many weekends and holidays were spent gathered around a table, laughing into the wee hours of the morning, playing Pinochle, Bridge, poker, Yahtzee, or other games with family and friends. She also loved puzzles of many kinds, including difficult crossword puzzles, anagrams, cryptograms, math, and logic puzzles as well as jigsaw puzzles. She adored Jeopardy and Cash Cab.

After her husband died in the summer of 2013, Norma moved into an in-law suite in her youngest son’s—Richard—house where she was able to maintain a high degree of independence for many years. With the aid of caregivers, several of whom became close friends, she was able to stay in Richard’s house until a final illness forced her to be hospitalized and later placed into hospice mere days before her death.

Due to the COVID crisis, no service will be held to honor Norma’s passing. She will have a Military Honors ceremony and be buried next to her husband at the Alabama National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to The Military Women’s Memorial or the Shriners Hospitals for Children.