Mary Davidson

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Mary Davidson, of

Eureka, PA.  She passed away peacefully on December 28, 2024, at the age of 98

with her family at her side. She was born at home to parents Kimi and Hango

Matsuoka on December 18, 1926, in Auburn, CA. Her parents were hard working

farmers. Mary and her three brothers -Ted, Shigeru and Frank - lived in a modest

wood frame structure with a dirt floor. Water flowing down from the mountains

through a small canal behind the house met the needs of her family whose home

lacked plumbing.

In 1930 at the age of three, Mary and her family moved to Oak Park on the

outskirts of Sacramento where they leased an eleven acre farm and grew

vegetables, berries, and had a fruit orchard and grape vines. Life was hard, with

both parents and children struggling to build a better life by growing and selling

their produce, and by 1940 they were realizing that dream. Mary, now a teenager,

recalled her disbelief upon hearing of the attack on Pearl Harbor in December of

1941, and the chaos that followed after President Roosevelt signed Executive

Order 9066 that resulted in the relocation of 120,000 Japanese Americans who

were considered a national security threat. Mary and her family were forced to

leave their home and all of their possessions behind, and were taken to the Tule

Lake Internment Camp in the harsh high desert of northern California. The next 3

1/2 years were spent confined in a camp of hastily constructed barracks,

surrounded by barbed wire fences and lookout towers manned by armed soldiers.

Despite this painful life event, Mary did not allow this experience to define her

life. She and her fellow internees tried to recreate the America they knew in the

camp. She attended school, played sports, served on school government, and

most importantly, made lifelong friends. She spoke of her happiest moment

during that time: being on the softball team that won the camp championship!

Prior to internment, Mary was a student at C.K. McClatchy High School in

Sacramento but stopped attending after an order restricted Japanese Americans

from leaving the immediate area of their homes. She did not have the

opportunity to say goodbye to her friends or explain what was happening to her

and her family. Mary attended and graduated from the Newell California Tri State

High School in camp, but she often expressed regret at not having received a

diploma from her “real” high school. In 2005, McClatchy High School invited Mary

to process with the graduating class, and she was awarded her 1945 high school

diploma - a proud and happy moment for her and the entire family.

The end of the war marked the closing of all internment camps, but with no place

to go, no prospects for a job and prejudice rampant, Mary went to Japan and

worked for the U.S. Occupation Forces to assist in the rebuilding of the country. It

was there that she met her future husband Bill, who was stationed there as

member of the Army Military Police. They were married at the US Consulate in

Kyushu, Japan, and went on to celebrate 72 years together.

After returning to the States in 1951, she and husband Bill found beautiful, rural

Bucks County to be the perfect place to live and raise a family; a place of

acceptance and good neighbors. She loved gardening and had an amazing green

thumb. Her garden and trees produced an abundance of flowers, fruits and

vegetables, and from summer through fall, her kitchen was a nonstop center of

activity as she filled the pantry with countless Mason jars of all that had been

harvested. She gave away as much as she kept, and her jams, jellies, pies and

cakes were always welcome gifts to friends and neighbors. At Christmas every

year, she baked hundreds of dozens of cookies that found their way into

everyone’s homes!

Mary was a skilled typist and seamstress, and like many women of her age, an

amazing homemaker. She loved her time with family and friends, whether

cruising, going out to eat, or simply relaxing at home watching TV. She was a

great card player, and you knew she would always go “all in” during a lively game

of pinochle! Until age slowed her down, she loved meeting her friends at the gym

and going for long walks around the lake at Peace Valley with Bill.

More than anything, Mary was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and friend.

She always had a ready smile and was a good listener. Her words of

encouragement, positive outlook and love for everyone endeared her to all. She

faced many challenges in her life with great strength and determination, and

inspired us with her courage, goodness and ability to forgive. She was a member

of Pleasantville Church for over 50 years. Mary will be dearly missed by all whose

lives she touched.

 Mary is survived by daughter Louise, daughter Mary Lynne Fox (Gene) and son

Gerald (Nancy) as well as grandchildren Tristan Davidson (Meghan), Kimi, Leanna and Cassandra Sullivan (Kyle). 

She was preceded in death by her husband Bill, her three brothers, and stepsisters

Yoshiko Matsunaga and Hatsuye Tokunaga.

Visitation will be held on Saturday, January 11, 2024, starting at 9:30 AM at

Pleasantville United Church of Christ (3424 Limekiln Pike Chalfont, PA 18914),

followed by a memorial service to commence at 11 AM. Interment Whitemarsh Memorial Park. 

The family suggests donations to Pearl S. Buck International in Bucks County

(pearlsbuck.org), where Mary served as docent for many years, the Japanese

American National Museum in Los Angeles (www.janm.org), or to a charity of

your choice in Mary’s honor.

(www.scanlinmcdonald.com)