Jeraldine Alvira

Davidson

At the proud age of 100, Jerry Davidson thought about learning Mah Jongg–an emblematic musing for someone always eager to learn new things and connect with others.

She was born Jeraldine Alvira Shliephake in Chicago, to Verna and Gerhardt Schliephake, with beloved maternal grandparents Clara and Rudy Seiffert close by, then and always. After her father died and her mother remarried, she happily gained two brothers, Aldo and Bill Baldaccini. The new family dynamic also brought Jerry into the Catholic faith, which inspired and comforted her throughout her life.

Jeraldine was an excellent student with a flair for language and art. An avid dancer, Jerry loved to frequent Chicago ballrooms, and at one she met Richard Davidson, who became her dancing partner and husband for nearly 60 years.

Jerry and Richard raised seven children in Lake Forest, IL By the time the two youngest were born, Jerry owned and managed a unique gift store, and then two stores, so she welcomed the support of “an earthly angel” named Maggie who lived in the Davidson home for several years and became a cherished part of the family.

Jerry nurtured enduring friendships. Some became aunts and uncles to the Davidson kids. Among her dearest friends were the sisters she gained by marriage, the women in her “sewing club,” and several neighbors and colleagues over the years. As friends passed away, Jerry corresponded with many of their children.

Jerry was a stunningly creative person with a talent for drawing and an eagerness not to be confined by the lines in coloring books. As a teen, she aspired to be a fashion designer, and she kept and cherished her drawings from those years. The holiday cards she created over decades of family life are legendary. In her 80s Jerry took up drawing again and added beading to her list of creative pursuits, making dozens of necklaces. In her 90s, with very low vision and limited dexterity, Jerry created cards using stickers—for Valentine’s Day, Halloween, Christmas, birthdays, and more—for over a hundred people with whom she stayed in touch. She knew all their birthdays and nearly all their addresses by heart.

Always an excellent writer, Jerry wrote a book of memories in her 95th year, and enjoyed that so much that she wrote a second volume. She was working on a third this year. A huge movie buff, Jerry watched her favorites over and over and could recite the names of many a cast and crew.

She loved puzzles of all kinds and was very good at them, as she was at cards and games. And pretty much everything she tried. She was very proud of her skill at Rummikub, which she learned at age 97.

Jerry dearly loved her hometown, Chicago. Some of her last questions for Alexa were “How are the Cubs doing?” and she prized her collection of Marshall Field memorabilia. She was active in Chicago Facebook groups, where she became quite the influencer in her last years.

For Jerry, the proverbial glass was always more than half full, and she’d have to be feeling pretty low for her not to tell you that she was “peachy keen.” She loved life and all the beings with whom she gratefully connected over time, and she was beloved by all who knew her.

Jerry was preceded in death by her parents and grandparents, her husband Richard, brothers Aldo (Betty) and Bill (Shirley), sisters-in-law Pauline and LaVergne (Jim), and two nephews. Her passing is mourned by children Kathleen, Valerie (David Mason), Mark (Lynda Haller), Michael (Carol), Neil (Suzanne). Mary Stanton (Terry), and Christine Jacobsen (John); grandchildren Matt (Miso), Maggie (Aaron), Yuri, Tanya, Svetlana (Jesse), Whitney (Jan), Graham (Emily), Ben, Jeremy (Bree), Rebecca (Milton), Gina (Tim), and Josie; 14 great-grandchildren; many nieces and nephews; and lots of extended family and friends.

For all who knew her, may Jerry’s memory be "a stardust melody / the memory of love’s refrain."

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to PORCH-Hillsborough, World Central Kitchen, Doctors without Borders, or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.