Christopher Robert Davidson

Christopher Robert Davidson, born 10 February 1944, a fourth generation Boisean, son of Marjorie Moore Davidson and Robert Davidson, great grandson to Christopher W. Moore of Boise history, departed this life on 29 August 2022, after experiencing an aggressive cancer. Chris, aka Tiffer, lived an idyllic childhood in Boise and McCall, spending summers along Sylvan Beach on Payette Lake and being a “go-fer” in Charlie’s Garden there in McCall. He attended Roosevelt Elementary, East Junior High, and Boise High. Childhood travels with his mom and stepdad, Charles M. Davidson, provided the spark of his passion for travel and his world view. Upon graduation from Boise High, he began his higher education at Whitman College, Walla Walla, Washington, continuing through doctoral studies in botany at Claremont Graduate University in California. He became Curator of Botany at the Los Angeles Natural History Museum. A naturalist with a passion for travel, plants and geology, Chris returned to Boise in 1980, for the birth of his daughter, Sara. At that time, he started the Idaho Botanical Garden. In the late 1980s, he undertook other botanical projects, including care and enhancement of Charlie’s Garden in McCall, culminating in his final work, floraoftheworld.org, documenting with digital images and scientific vouchers the flowering plant families of the world for two decades. He had approximately 8 plant families of the 430 +/- flowering plant families left to document. Professionally, the highlight of his career was creating floraoftheworld.org, a self-funded project that took him and his wife to 45 countries, some visited multiple times, six of the seven continents and a website open to the public and geared to the botanical community. The shared adventures and many fine colleagues and plant enthusiasts imbued a worldliness to his persona. Chris lived life with a quick wit, a keen eye, and a kindness that encouraged others to be themselves and project the goodness and worth in their being. He leaves behind, his stepmom, Barbara Davidson, whom he cherished, his “hybrid” family as he called us--his wife Sharon, his daughter Sara, daughter Penny, son Pat, their respective spouses, Jesse, Joshua, Ashley, and five grandchildren who were delights of his life. Our planet is a better place for him having resided here. Celebrations, with lite fare, of this outstanding man will be held by the family and for friends and acquaintances who feel inclined to share a memory of him. McCall: Charlie’s Garden and the cabin 910 Sylvan Creek Rd. 5 September 2022 11:00 am Boise: his residence at 637 E Warm Springs Ave., entrance through the fire entrance at the end of East Lewis St. 7 September 2022 4-6 pm