James Davison

James Allen Davison, 68, of Venice, Florida, died peacefully at his home, surrounded by family, on Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018. A longtime resident of Morgantown, West Virginia, James was born July 7, 1950, in Uniontown, Pennsylvania, the third and youngest child of Harry and Mabel Davison. He graduated Laurel Highlands High School in Uniontown in 1968 and then his beloved alma mater, Pennsylvania State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree in 1973. James married the love of his life, Christina Mary Kish, on October 29, 1977, at Calvary United Methodist Church in Uniontown. They have four children, Timothy, Jamie, Jenifer, and Jillian, and four grandchildren, Bree, Mason, Marshall, and Dylan. James was a devoted husband, caring brother, and loving father who gave deeply of himself to the benefit of his family, friends, neighbors, and his community. He was an avid sports fan and student of college basketball, to the detriment of many March Madness bracket pools. He had an unrivaled and unwavering dedication to Penn State and his Nittany Lions, and was a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates. He was an accomplished billiards player who loved music, particularly Janis Joplin, and having a good time with those he loved. He enjoyed camping with his family and friends, golf, swimming, and especially the beach. During his distinguished, 40-year career as an architect, he led the architectural design of many iconic public buildings, educational institutions, and houses of worship across Pennsylvania, Ohio, Virginia, Maryland, and especially West Virginia, where he served as Vice President of Morgantown-based Alpha Associates, Incorporated, for 35 years, retiring in 2012 to join his children and grandchildren in Florida. Mr. Davison's architectural legacy lives on in the many stunning structures that he designed in his adoptive state of West Virginia, a place he loved deeply. He was an admirer of Frank Lloyd Wright and sought harmony between the structures he designed, the surrounding environment, and the people who bring the spaces to life. He began his career in 1974 as an intern with Lawrie and Green, in Harrisonburg, Pennsylvania, and then moved to Carl G. Baker, Architects until 1977, when he found a permanent home with Alpha Associates, Incorporated. Some of his most visible work in West Virginia includes the iconic Wheeling College Chapel and Paul VI Pastoral Center in Wheeling; St. Luke Catholic Church in Morgantown; the renovation/addition to Morgantown High School, which won the 1999 American Institute of Architects' Merit Award for Achievement in Architecture; West Virginia University's Engineering Research Building; the Morgantown Ronald McDonald house; the restoration of both the U.S. Post office in Clarksburg and the historic Winchester and Western Railroad Depot in Martinsburg, and countless other schools, churches, and public structures in the five states where he was licensed to practice. In retirement, he served as president of the East Village community association in Venice, Florida, where he led the design and construction of the neighborhood's new community center and worked to enrich the lives of everybody he encountered. James is survived by his devoted wife of 41 years, Tina, his children, grandchildren, sister Joy Craig, brother Harry Davison, niece Marti (Craig) Caskey, and nephews Duke Craig and Bruce and Skip Davison. A public visitation will be held from 5 to 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2018, at Farley Funeral Home in Venice, Florida. In lieu of flowers, donations in his name can be made online to the Penn State University Alumni Association. Visitation Information Date: Wednesday, December 12, 2018 Time: 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm Farley Funeral Home - Venice Chapel Address: 265 Nokomis Avenue South Venice, FL 34285 941-488-2291 | Map