Obituary of Edith Louise Davidson

Edith Louise Penley St. Paul Davidson, long term resident of Kamilche, Washington, passed away Wednesday evening at her home in Kamilche, WA. She was born in Nespelem, WA on April 29th, 1937 to Harry and Bertha Penley. She passed peacefully of natural causes April 23rd, 2014 at the age of 76. She is survived by her four children and two step children; Charles E. St. Paul (wife Tami), William K. St. Paul (wife Diane), Cynthia M. Carney (husband Kevin), and Sandra L. Miller (husband Mark), Jack E. Davidson Jr. (wife Concetta), and Susie Saunders (husband Larry) as well as many grandchildren and great grand children who brought much joy to her last years. She met and married her first love Kelly St. Paul in 1953. They had two children before they split up in 1957. She moved to Idaho, to her sister’s house, where she met her husband of 53 years Jack Davidson. They moved around the Pacific Northwest living along the Oregon coast where Jack found work logging and doing construction. She had their twin girls while they lived in Seal Rock, Oregon. They moved to Kamilche in 1967. She and Jack made a life and home for their combined family of 6 children and opened their home to various other children in need of a loving family to care for them off and on throughout the years. She helped people raise their kids well into her 60s. She worked briefly for the fish processing plant on the Skok reservation where she met one of her life long friends Ellie Schiller. As her children grew up and began to have families of their own, she was an amazing grandmother. Her sons provided her with grandsons to dote on in the mid 80s. The twins followed with granddaughters and grandsons shortly thereafter. In 1997, she purchased 160 acres just outside Nespelem, WA. The families have enjoyed endless hours of camping and fishing and enjoying the simple life at “camp dirt”. She wanted to ensure that they would have a chance to experience the freedom and joys of life near where she was born and raised. Her life was full of children again and she always had boundless love and time and energy to help with the raising of them or just to enjoy the light they brought to her life. In her last years she was blessed with great grand children who brought her even more joy. Her life was very centered around her family and friends. Edith was a wonderful wife and mother, grandmother, aunt, great aunt and great grandmother and much loved friend. She loved to bead, some of her family used to tease her that we were afraid to sit still too long in one place for fear of ending up beaded in that place. She was an avid garage saler who supplied many new wives and mothers with household goods and baby and toddler clothes and toys from her garage sale outings. She loved to can and supplied many homes with food and shared her abilities with family and friends. She was so generous she would willingly take the time to teach anyone who wanted to learn. Having coffee at her kitchen table with her good friends Dollie, Connie and Phyllis (Fred) was one of her favorite past times. In her last years she continued that tradition with her adult children who still live nearby. Edith was wise and gentle and non-judgemental in her advice and guidance to her friends and loved ones. She gave selflessly to her family and friends. She will be greatly missed. She was always there. She was preceded in death by her grand parents, parents, her brother and three sisters, husband of 53 years, Jack Davidson and her ex-husband Kelly St. Paul. A wake was held at her home in Kamilche on Saturday, April 26th and Sunday April 27th. She was laid to rest according to her last wishes at a 10 am service at the Nespelem Cemetery in Nespelem, WA on Monday April 28th.