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DAVIDSON PATRICIA LAX
PATRICIA LAX
DAVIDSON
Patricia “Pat” Lax Davidson, 61 years old, of Chagrin Falls, died peacefully in her home on June 2, 2009, surrounded by her family and friends. Pat is the beloved mother of Chagrin Falls residents Tyler Joseph Davidson (wife Lyon nee Martin) and Jamie Patrick Davidson; grandmother of Patrick Joseph Davidson; sister of Chagrin Falls resident Scott Milton Lax; daughter of Milton J. “Mel” Lax; longtime girlfriend of Tony Cuda; former wife of Bernard Davidson; and a true friend to many. Her loving mother, Josephine Stai Lax, precedes her in death.
Born in Parma Heights, Ohio on March 9, 1948, Pat grew up in Chagrin Falls. She graduated from Chagrin Falls High School in 1966, and received a B.A. in Education at the University of Florida in 1971.
Pat lived briefly in Boston, Massachusetts after college, then married and moved back to Chagrin, where, with the exception of several years lived in Aurora, Ohio, Pat raised her children and made her permanent home. She and her husband divorced in 1985.
As a single mother, Pat held several different jobs while she continued her education, notably as a witness/victim advocate at the Downtown Cleveland Justice Center, where she guided and supported crime victims through the judicial process. She received her M.Ed. in Guidance and Counseling from Kent State University in 1988, and followed with the completion of forty-eight additional hours of graduate course credit at Kent State, Ashland University, and Chapman University.
In 1992 she became a middle school guidance counselor at Richmond Heights Schools in Richmond Heights, Ohio, working diligently in that position until she went on disability in 2007. Pat’s accomplished tenure at Richmond Heights featured her organization of the motivational program “Girl Power,” designed to help middle school girls focus their extracurricular time and energy more positively. The Richmond Heights program was recognized statewide and honored by the late congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones.
Pat was a spiritual person of deep and inclusive faith, reconciling a longstanding practice of NSA (now SGI) Buddhism with her love of Jesus Christ. She was an active member of the Federated Church in Chagrin Falls, and particularly cherished her involvement with the church’s “J.O.Y.” youth group, traveling to Biloxi, Mississippi on a volunteer house-building mission in 1993.
Pat’s family and friends will remember her sense of humor, kindness, compassion, and unfailing willingness to lend an ear. She loved movies, politics, taking walks, Christmas, and a lifetime of family travel to Fort Myers Beach, Florida. More than anything else, however, she loved being a mom. Pat always put her sons Tyler and Jamie first, supporting them unconditionally and constantly throughout her life.
Pat was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) in 2006, and faced her illness with courage, dignity, and an appreciation for love and life that inspired those who knew her. She gave so much to all of us.
A funeral service and reception will be held on FRIDAY, JUNE 12 at 2 PM at the FEDERATED CHURCH (76 Bell St., Chagrin Falls, OH 44022, 440-247-6490). Tax-deductible donations in Pat’s memory may be sent to the ALS Association – Northern Ohio Chapter (2500 East 22nd St., Ste. 102, Cleveland, OH 44115).
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