James S. Davidson

Jim was born on April 16, 1933, the son of Hilda and Edward Davidson of Mamaroneck, NY. He never got to know his father, an attorney, as he died unexpectedly when Dad was seven years old.

Jim was educated in the Mamaroneck public schools and in Manhattan. He spent his college years at Dartmouth, which were interrupted by a stint as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during the Korean War as a tank commander. Shortly after college graduation, he married his wife, Jane Handleman, from White Plains, NY. They had met one summer when they were both in the Berkshires. Jim told her at a dance party that he was going to marry her.

After the wedding gala in 1957, the couple settled in the Gedney Way area of White Plains in their first home, and Jim started his career in retail as a buyer for Gimbles. Eventually, at the invitation of his father-in-law Herb Handleman, he joined Handleman's Garden Center on Route 22 in North White Plains, where he initially worked loading topsoil and peat moss into customer cars.

Over the years, Jim took on greater responsibility at Handleman's and eventually became the President of the company. With Jane's help, he ultimately transformed the thriving nursery into a 12-month-a-year business. The most dramatic aspect of that transformation was the creation of a Christmas wonderland, replete with a children's petting zoo, an animated, enchanted forest with moving figurines, and seemingly endless rows of professionally decorated artificial Christmas trees and unique ornaments.

On the home front, two years after Jane and Jim were married, their first son, Gary, was born at White Plains Hospital; Peter was born just shy of two years later. With the addition of two kids, a bigger home proved a necessity. The family moved in the early 1960's to a new housing development in Briarcliff, and Jim set about helping his new neighbors (most of whom became friends for life) landscape their then-barren yards. One of the notable aspects of family life growing up in Briarcliff was the love shared between and among Jane and Jim and their parents—Gert and Herb Handleman and Hilda Davidson.

Jim was actively involved in numerous civic organizations, including his beloved Rotary Club and the Anti-Defamation League. He became an avid tennis player and took more lessons than most professional players do. His obsession with the sport peaked in 1976 when he moved the family to another home in Briarcliff that had a yard big enough for a tennis court.

The only thing more exciting for the family than the new home came several years later when Peter announced his engagement in Israel to Mira Berlinski, a native Brazilian. Within a few years, their first daughter, Dana, was born in the midst of SCUD missile attacks on Israel by Iraq. Ultimately, Peter and Mira relocated to the U.S. and made Boca Raton their home. Not long after, their second daughter, Leanna, was born. Dana and Leanna brought endless joy to their grandparents.
Eventually, Jane and Jim sold their home in Briarcliff and moved permanently to Boca Raton. Jim embarked on his second and third careers. He went back to school to become a certified Master Gardener and then became a weekly volunteer for the State of Florida's Horticultural Hotline in Palm Beach. But that was not enough. He co-founded an organization called FSMES, which was designed to foster high-level discussions and adult education on the Middle East. The group ultimately grew to hundreds of members and hosted seminars with guest speakers from throughout the U.S. and abroad. True to form, Jim devoted countless hours to studying books and scholarly papers related to his newfound passion. As Jane would later joke, Jim retired from the nursery and got a PH.D. in Middle Eastern Studies. He also became an avid freshwater fisherman, spending hours on his boat with family and friends.

Over the last decade, the family rejoiced when Dana married Alex Harrigan. Most recently, the birth of their first child, Maya, provided Jim with a much-needed boost. While Maya will not have the benefit of her great-grandfather's affection, she will come to know him through the many family photo albums that chronicled his wonderful life over the years. And she will hear the stories that all in the family will share about a man who devoted his time on earth to helping and caring for others, without anything expected in return.

--------------------------------------------------

Services will be held on Monday, January 26, beginning at 11 am at Gutterman Warheit in Boca Raton. Burial will be at 1:30 pm at the Eternal Light Memorial Gardens in Boynton Beach.

The family will be sitting Shiva at Jane and Jim's home at 7755 La Corniche Circle in Boca Raton on Monday, January 26, beginning at 5:30 pm (with a minion at 7:00 pm) and on Tuesday, January 27, from 5:30-7:30 pm.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to one of Jim's many causes, including:

The Alzheimer's Association
The Friends of the Israel Defense Forces
The American Civil Liberties Union