Sharon Davison
Eulogy June 25th 2024
Sharon Patrice-Nicole Davison. What an incredible young Black Woman, who not only knew God, but was an incredible gift from God. There was an abundance of love that flowed out of her/ that touched the lives of many.
Here lies the body of a woman whose life was described by Jesus Himself, when Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, that a person should lay down his or her life for a friend.” Many of us have watched Sharon again and again put the needs of others ahead of her own needs even to her own disadvantage and hurt.
Many times Sharon was taken advantage of, but the love of Christ inside of her allowed her to move on and keep loving people anyways. She had a joy in her heart that came out in a loud boisterous manner. It was something else to see her in the middle of one of her laughing episodes in which she couldn’t stop laughing and would be trying to talk at the same time.
There is a verse in Isaiah which prophecies about the coming of Jesus in which it says, “He was despised and rejected by people, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces, he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.” Part of Sharon’s story is that she knew and experienced some of what Jesus would experience in her own life. We can be very cruel in the names we call people, even as children.
Sharon had one eye that was larger than the other. In one eye she could only see light and darkness and in the other one she was legally blind. It wasn’t something she asked for, but it was part of who she was. Children and adults laughed at her and made jokes. She was rejected because of the appearance of her eyes, by some of those who knew her and some of those who didn’t, and she was written off as a nobody.
Yet God used it, to put a compassion inside of her that was amazing. We got a testimony from Anita Peoples who remembered Sharon from back in junior high. Anita would come into class to sign language for deaf students in the class while the teacher taught. She was amazed at how Sharon would go out of her way to try to make the deaf students feel included with the other students. She would even sit next to the students to make sure the student was on the right page.
There was one night of Bible Study that I never will forget. Sharon was in my junior high/senior high youth class. I still remember the Wednesday night she came into our youth class and stunned us all. We were in the fellowship at Glenville New Life Community Church sitting at the table. The class had already begun
Sharon was late as she walked into the class. The left side of her face was swollen twice its regular size. We all looked on in disbelief. Earlier that day, Sharon had been walking down the street when she was attacked from a girl from behind with either a razor or knife and cut Sharon from her ear to her neck leaving a large scar on her face.
It wasn’t because of anything that Sharon had done that she was attacked, but because the person had a problem with someone in Sharon’s family and saw her as an easy target. That night in Bible study Sharon, who was a just a young teenager, wasn’t there to ask “God, why did this happen to me?” She was there to see if she would still be accepted by the class despite the hideous way she was looking. I was so proud of my class for the empathy they showed her that night.
Her physical and emotional suffering, led her to be one of the most compassionate people that I know. If you or your loved ones went to University Hospital in need of care, one of the best things you could hope for was to be a patient on Sharon’s floor, especially if you couldn’t take care of yourself. She would fight to make sure you were comfortable and your bed was clean.
She received so many awards at work, because patients and families would give her such high ratings for how well she treated them. Nobody was beneath her and she truly cared about the least of these. One family wrote a letter to the CEO of the hospital about Sharon’s kindness to their loved one. Even if her shift was over, if she was saying goodbye to you because her shift was over, and she noticed your bed was soiled, she moved into action.
She didn’t say “Well someone will be here soon on the next shift to take care of you. My shift is over.” She took care of you before she left. The compassion of Jesus of Christ that she demonstrated toward others was truly amazing. She understood the meaning of going the extra mile for Jesus and for people.
The longer I live, the more I realized that things are just not coincidences, not just happenstance, and not just I got lucky. I see that God is forever unfolding his plans for a culmination in history. God actually knows what and who we are going to need to mold and to shape us in life to get us ready to spend eternity with him.
When Sharon had turned 18, she was just completing the 10th grade. Pastor Toby and I knew she was going to have a brutal time enduring the insults at Glenville High School, for not only did she have the problem with her eyes, she now had a large scar running across her face. We didn’t want to see her become a high school dropout. We felt we could give her the boost to get her education.
We told her, “you’re 18 now, if you want you can come and live with us and we will help you to graduate from high school.”
Sharon came and lived with us, and the good part was, “Sharon had never had a lazy bone in her body. That girl would work and cleanup almost to perfection. The bad part was that our girls and our nieces started to complain that some of their stuff was missing. They were convinced that Sharon had taken it, but Sharon swore she had not taken anything.
Pastor Toby and I didn’t know what to do. Then came that day when Pastor Toby had some money in an envelope taken out of her purse. When she confronted Sharon about it, again Sharon denied it. Pastor Toby told her flat out, “Sharon I don’t believe you.” Later that day, Sharon came and told her, “I found the envelope with your money.” However, the money Toby had were new bills because she had just come from the bank. The money Sharon had replaced it with was older used bills.
Sharon thought we were going to ask her to leave out of our home and our lives, but instead she discovered that she could be loved and accepted even with her weaknesses. Our efforts were not in vain. Sharon went on to graduate from high school and college, I had to relearn my algebra, geometry and trigonometry again to be her tutor for her high school and college classes.
Pastor Toby discovered a daughter that would help her out in many ways through the years to come. She had prayed, “Lord help me to learn to love as Jesus loved.” Well Sharon was in part the answer to that prayer. The two of them shared a journey that was remarkable.
You see for those very close to Sharon, you knew she could be two very different people. Very loving, outgoing, and funny one moment, but then out of the blue become very silent, distant and almost ghosting you. Then going back to the other lively Sharon, as though nothing had happened. She really took Pastor Toby on some roller coaster rides, but keep in mind, Pastor Toby’s prayers were being answered on learning to love like Jesus.
With the passing of time, Sharon proved to be an invaluable asset helping Pastor Toby with chores, with wrapping hundreds of Christmas gifts, setting up decorations for all kind of holidays and events in the home and at church, and helping with the grandkids on Sunday morning. They shared far more laughter than they did tears together.
Sharon discovered a person that would be at her side in some of the most painful moments of her life. Sharon suffered through so many hospital visits, endured several painful surgeries that were not always successful, spent more time in emergency rooms than most of us could imagine.
Her heart was broken because so often around major holidays or family events because would end up in the hospital just a few days before. You rarely heard of Sharon complaining about her pain.
Sometimes when she was in the hospital, she would call Pastor Toby at 1:00 in the morning and the two of them would be on the phone for a couple of hours, with Sharon just moaning and groaning in pain. When the Scriptures tell us to bear one another’s burden. The two of them tried to do that in their love and support of each other.
I’m not sure when Sharon made the transition from calling me Pastor Rick to calling me Dad. I was surprised because I knew how much she loved her father, Walter Davison. But Sharon knew, that her love for Pastor Toby and for me, did not in any way decrease her love for her parents Sharon and Walter.
For some reason, we always called him, Mr. Davison. He would often tell us, “I appreciate so much for what you all have done for Sharon.” I’ll never forget how happy and proud he was the day Electra and Sharon graduated from college. Mr. Davison always saw us as on the same team trying to build up his daughter.
In God’s wisdom God sent me to law school. God brought Sharon into my life because God knew Sharon was going to need an ongoing lawyer. Don’t think that all lawyers make a lot of money. Sharon was one of my most repeat clients. I would tell her, Sharon don’t sign anything without checking with me. The next thing I know, Sharon would be bringing me papers over someone suing her for breaking a contract.
She always had good reasons for breaking the contracts, but she didn’t follow through and they would sue her thinking they would get a default judgment against her. They never expected her to have a lawyer respond. Sometimes she would be sued, and she wasn’t even the Sharon Davison listed in the Complaint. She kept me busy, but she never paid for any legal services. I guess making me her dad, entitled her to free legal services.
I looked back over my text messages from her and she was certainly treating me like a Dad. They kept reading one after the other, Dad let me borrow $50 till Friday, $100 till my paycheck, $30 Cash App because I’m at the store and don’t have enough. I’ll pay you back. She always paid me back
But on the other hand, she always was trying to look out after me. When she worked the night shift at UH she would bring me home a breakfast on Sunday mornings. She would constantly try to spend more than she could afford on my birthday, father’s day and Christmas. I would tell her, “Sharon, just get what you need for yourself and that will be enough for me.”
Many of you know what I’m talking about because she would do the same for you on your birthday or on holidays. She lived a life of being generous to others.
Sharon was somewhat of a paradox. She truly believed that verse which says “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” She was a true giver in life. If she gave you something, can you say amen. At the same time she believed that verse “you have not, because you ask not.” She would say to you in a minute, “ooh that looks good, can I have it.” If she asked you for something, can you say amen.
Sharon had a huge capacity to love people. She loved her birth family, the Davisons. Sharon, one thing you and your husband, Walter instilled within Sharon that she carried for life, was a healthy respect for adults. Sharon always put a handle before pronouncing an older adult’s name.
To all of you her sisters and brothers. She was so proud of your accomplishments and she bragged on you whenever she could. Kathy she talked about how comical you could be in getting her to laugh and lifting her spirit. She told me you do quite a good Pastor Rick impersonation. Electra she talked about how stylish you were, always looking good whether at home or outside. She said, you should have been named Sharon and she Electra, because you are your mother’s twin.
Audrey she talked about how much fun the two of you had growing up. She admired you as her big sister. She loved dressing like your twin. Morrell, she just thought you were the greatest among brothers. She loved how you would come to her defense and stand up for her. You were truly her protector. To hear her talk about your strength, you might as well have been named Samson.
Samantha she was so thrilled and proud of standing next to you as a judge in the picture you took. You’re the only judge she wanted to ever stand in front of again. She bragged about you to others. Anita, she enjoyed the support you gave her and the phone conversations that you shared. She valued your wisdom.
Keon, she was so proud of her little brother being the pastor of the church. She was one of your greatest fans. I know she was looking forward to trying to spoil little Brooklyn. Marjoe, the moment I told her about your banquet, she begged me to let her help pay for it. I told her, “I tell you what Sharon, you can be in charge of the decorations like you did for Mom’s 85th birthday.” She had a love for all of you in her own special kind of a way. Thank you all for your acceptance of her.
Toby and I want to say thank you to all of our family members who truly accepted and loved Sharon as a part of The Fowler-Dixon Families on one side and the Dubose-Gillespie families on the other side. Sharon loved the extended members of the Davison family as well and thank you for your support of her.
Thank you to all of you uncles and auntie’s that Sharon claimed as her own whether you were related by birth or not. Thank you for all of you who were a part of the church families of which Sharon was a part, especially her buddies who would go to dinner with her. The girl loved to eat. She loved the opportunity to love others and to be loved.
One more thing Jesus said was, “Let the little children come to me.” Sharon lived this as well. She had so many kids calling her “Auntie Sharon” that it is unbelievable. I think that one of the final gifts that God gave to Sharon to greatly enrich the joy in her life, was her little nephew, Legend. For those of you who don’t know, Legend was Sharon’s two-year-old nephew who lost his life through a tragic accident just a month ago.
He was the joy and delight of Sharon’s life in her home on East 236th Street. She felt so loved by that little boy and him wanting to come to spend time with her in her room. Losing Legend, left a gaping hole in Sharon’s heart. I’m glad to know that, because of Sharon’s faith and trust in Jesus Christ, She and Legend are both with the Lord.
There is so much more that Sharon has done in her lifetime that I didn’t get the chance to tell you about. Her Service in the Church, Her work with the Sight Center, Her Prison Team Ministry, Her Moving Furniture Around, and so much more.
If you want to know all that, I encourage you to join Sharon in heaven so that you can get the rest of the story. Very few of us will have the privilege of knowing when our day of leaving this world is going to happen. Sharon’s final day was a happy one. She and Pastor Toby laughed and talked over a McDonalds meal that afternoon. I sent her an e-mail that morning. I looked at the last e-mail I sent to Sharon on the day she died. I ended it with “Love ya Dad 2.” Her last response was a text saying “Hey, Thank you.” Her death that evening gave a lifetime meaning to those words.
Sharon has left an incredible legacy behind. It was all because she believed Jesus Christ when he said, “I am the Way, The Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” She put her faith and trust in him, that when Jesus died on the cross, he died for her sins. She believed that when he rose up from the dead, he would one day cause her to rise up.
The word of God tells us that it is appointed for us to once die and then we go before God for the judgment. We will each give an account to God for the things we have done. When it comes to the wrong doings or sins we have done, we are all going to need a Savior. Sharon is going to have Jesus standing there to testify on her behalf that her sin debt has been paid in full. She will hear the words well done, my good and faithful servant, enter into the joy that has been prepared for you.
Any of us can one day join Sharon in heaven. All you have to do is to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, ask forgiveness of your sin, give your life to him, and like Sharon, you too shall be saved. It’s the best investment of your life that you could ever possibly make.
We can rejoice over the life that Sharon has lived. To borrow a quote and paraphrase from Dr. Benjamin’s E Mays eulogy for Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King
Too bad, you say, that Sharon Patrice-Nicole Davison died so young. I feel that way, too. But, as I have said many times before, it isn’t how long one lives, but how well. It’s what one accomplishes for humankind that matters. Jesus died at 33; Sharon at 41. She used those 41 years to help and to empower others to become all that God intended for them to be.
This is a eulogy for my foster daughter who died suddenly of a heart attack. She knew and loved the Lord Jesus Christ.
