08/11/2026
Donna M. Davidson, 73, of Forty Fort, passed away at her home on Sunday, August 9th.
Donna was born on November 23rd, 1952, in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the daughter of the late John and Rose Guinta Bellew. Her journey of learning and faith began as a young child at Notre Dame of Bethlehem Elementary School, where the foundation was laid for the intelligence, discipline, faith, and determination that would remain with her throughout her life. She went on to attend Bethlehem Catholic High School, proudly graduating with the Class of 1970.
That foundation, together with Donna’s remarkably sharp mind and extraordinary work ethic, would serve her throughout an accomplished career spanning more than four decades with PP&L at the Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant. Donna truly loved her work and took tremendous pride in what she did. Far from a traditional office role, she managed complex computer tracking and scheduling systems essential to the plant’s operations, but it was also through her work that Donna’s life would lead her to something far greater than any professional accomplishment. It was there that she met Joseph J. Davidson Jr., the man who would become her loving husband and with whom she would begin the chapter of her life she treasured above all others.
Together, Donna and Joseph built a life, a marriage, and most importantly to Donna, a family. They would share more than four decades of marriage and welcome their three children, Joseph, Erik, and Donielle. From the moment Donna became a mother, her children became the center of her world. She did not simply love them; she devoted herself to them completely. Their happiness was her happiness, their worries became her worries, and no matter how old they became, there was nothing she would not do for them. She was their constant - the person they could turn to, depend upon, and know would always be there.
As the years passed and her children gave her grandchildren, Donna found yet another extraordinary kind of love. She adored being a grandmother and cherished each of her grandchildren beyond measure. Nothing brought her greater happiness than having her family around her.
Her family was not simply a part of Donna’s life; they were her life. Everything she worked for, everything she worried about, everything she gave, and so much of what brought her joy came back to the people she loved. To be loved by Donna was to know a love that was fierce, unconditional, protective, and without limit. She gave her children and grandchildren something that will remain with them long after her passing: the absolute certainty that they were loved beyond words.
Donna’s intelligence and strength were matched by an equally remarkable heart. A faithful member of the former Holy Name-St. Mary’s Parish in Swoyersville and later St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, her faith was reflected in the way she lived and gave to others. Deeply humble and generous, Donna quietly supported her church, numerous charities, and those in need, always preferring to remain behind the scenes. She never sought attention, recognition, or thanks; for Donna, knowing she had helped someone was reward enough. She gave from the heart simply because that was who she was.
Donna was preceded in death by those she loved deeply and carried forever in her heart: her beloved brother, John “Jay Jay” Bellew; her step-grandson, Jacob Busch; and her cherished daughter-in-law, Audrey Ana Davidson, the beloved wife of her firstborn son, Joseph.
Donna leaves behind the family who meant everything to her: her loving husband of more than 40 years, Joseph J. Davidson Jr.; her beloved children, Joseph Davidson III, Erik Davidson, and Donielle Davidson, and her husband, Jody Busch; and her cherished grandchildren, Joseph Davidson IV, Scotland Rose Davidson, Izabella Kye Davidson, Penelope Pearl Davidson, Maverick Jacob Davidson/Busch, and step-granddaughter, Ava Busch.
More than any title, achievement, or accomplishment, Donna’s greatest pride was the family she created and the people she loved. She was a devoted wife, an extraordinary mother, and a proud and adoring grandmother. Her family was the center of her world, just as she was an irreplaceable center of theirs.
There are people whose absence changes the shape of a family forever, and Donna was one of those people. She spent her life loving and taking care of the people who meant everything to her, and while the place she held in their lives can never be filled, neither can the love she gave them ever be taken away. It will live on through her children and grandchildren - in the lessons she taught them, the traditions she created, the way they love and care for one another, and the countless memories they will carry in their hearts for the rest of their lives.
Family and friends are invited from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. on Friday, August 14th, to St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, 116 Hughes St., Swoyersville.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated immediately following visitation at 11:30 a.m., with Monsignor John Sempa officiating. Interment will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery.
Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Hugh B. Hughes & Son, Inc. Funeral Home, Forty Fort.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude’s children’s hospital a place she donated to often and meant the world to her.
