David Davison, 69 of Toledo, Ohio passed away March 10, 2020. David was born on May 26, 1950 in Toledo, Ohio to Coda and Jean (Eckhart) Davison. David was a graduate of the Roy C. Start High School and the University of Toledo with a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice. David worked for the Toledo Police Department for 18 years retiring in 1992. David also worked for 5 years as an animal cruelty investigator for the Toledo Humane Society.
Mr. Davison was an avid reader of books going to the local library 3 to 4 times a week. Mr. Davison was also a former member of the Toledo Patrolman's Union.
Mr. Davison was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Ronald and Byron Ridgeway. Surviving are his brothers, Coda (Carol) Davison, and Harold (Barbara) Ridgeway.
There will be no visitation or services. The family suggests memorials to the Toledo Animal Rescue 640 Wyman St. Toledo, Ohio 43609. Arrangements by Caring Cremation Services.
www.berstickerscottfuneralhome.com
(News story) David Davison, fueled by a sense of truth and justice to work in law enforcement, investigate animal cruelty, and run for office, and whose pursuit of a cold case as a civilian attracted wide attention after a Catholic priest was arrested for murdering a nun years before, died Tuesday in South Toledo of an apparent heart attack. He was 69.
He was in his vehicle on Glendale Avenue when he suffered the heart attack and drove off the road, his brother, Coda Davison, said. He could not be revived.
A duty-related injury caused Mr. Davison of South Toledo to retire about 1990 from the Toledo police force. On April 5, 1980, he was among the first officers to see Sister Margaret Ann Pahl dead in the sacristy of a chapel in Mercy Hospital. He was in the hospital cafeteria, on break during his patrol shift, when a nurse rushed to the table to say the sister's body had been discovered. She'd been stabbed repeatedly.
Mr. Davison said later that, though he wasn't one of the primary investigators, several hospital staff members told him that police should consider the Rev. Gerald Robinson, a hospital chaplain, as a suspect.
No one was prosecuted then. Mr. Davison after he retired wrote to police and city officials and the Vatican to reopen the case. His public records requests yielded hundreds of pages of documents. And then he gave up.
"I figured they were going to treat me like a kook. It sounded so unbelievable," Mr. Davison told The Blade in April, 2004 - after Father Robinson was arrested and charged in Sister Margaret Ann's death.
He told The Blade he believed police had not aggressively pursued the priest as a suspect at the time because many who oversaw the investigation were Catholic - which they strongly denied. But that assertion caught the attention of national media. He received 66 calls within 24 hours from journalists and producers - the New York Times, the Today show, and CBS News among them - and a filmmaker offering cash for rights to the story. Mr. Davison answered questions. But he declined enticements as "blood money."
Robinson was convicted in May, 2006.
"This is long overdue and a big surprise," Mr. Davison said then. "I've lost a lot of faith in people, and I thought sure as hell that at least one juror would hold out, so I was in shock."
His brother said: "He had a strong conviction of right and wrong. He felt people needed to stand up and do what was right, and he felt a police officer could do that."
Mr. Davison was a cruelty investigator about five years in the 1990s for the Toledo Area Humane Society. He rescued dogs and most often had four or five in his care.
"That's how he coped with things," his brother said. "He loved animals, and he could come home and spend time with his dogs and not socialize too much with people."
In 1998, Mr. Davison wrote an essay for The Blade's Pages of Opinion in which he proposed creation of a Toledo office of animal control, led by an animal ombudsman. The public-private agency would bind together animal welfare groups to prevent sick and abandoned animals from suffering or roaming the streets.
Mr. Davison ran unsuccessfully for Toledo Board of Education in 1979 and for Toledo City Council in 2006.
"He was an honest, upright person who always stood up for what he thought was right," his brother said.
He was born May 26, 1950, in Toledo, to Jean and Coda Davison. He was a graduate of Start High School. He had an associate degree and a bachelor of police administration degree from the University of Toledo.
Surviving are his brother, Coda Davison, and half brother Harold Ridgeway.
There will be no visitation or services. Arrangements are by Caring Cremation Services.
The family suggests tributes Toledo Animal Rescue or any no-kill shelter.
This is a news story by Mark Zaborney. Contact him at [email protected] 419-724-6182.
Published in The Blade on Mar. 15, 2020
Mr. Davison was an avid reader of books going to the local library 3 to 4 times a week. Mr. Davison was also a former member of the Toledo Patrolman's Union.
Mr. Davison was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Ronald and Byron Ridgeway. Surviving are his brothers, Coda (Carol) Davison, and Harold (Barbara) Ridgeway.
There will be no visitation or services. The family suggests memorials to the Toledo Animal Rescue 640 Wyman St. Toledo, Ohio 43609. Arrangements by Caring Cremation Services.
www.berstickerscottfuneralhome.com
(News story) David Davison, fueled by a sense of truth and justice to work in law enforcement, investigate animal cruelty, and run for office, and whose pursuit of a cold case as a civilian attracted wide attention after a Catholic priest was arrested for murdering a nun years before, died Tuesday in South Toledo of an apparent heart attack. He was 69.
He was in his vehicle on Glendale Avenue when he suffered the heart attack and drove off the road, his brother, Coda Davison, said. He could not be revived.
A duty-related injury caused Mr. Davison of South Toledo to retire about 1990 from the Toledo police force. On April 5, 1980, he was among the first officers to see Sister Margaret Ann Pahl dead in the sacristy of a chapel in Mercy Hospital. He was in the hospital cafeteria, on break during his patrol shift, when a nurse rushed to the table to say the sister's body had been discovered. She'd been stabbed repeatedly.
Mr. Davison said later that, though he wasn't one of the primary investigators, several hospital staff members told him that police should consider the Rev. Gerald Robinson, a hospital chaplain, as a suspect.
No one was prosecuted then. Mr. Davison after he retired wrote to police and city officials and the Vatican to reopen the case. His public records requests yielded hundreds of pages of documents. And then he gave up.
"I figured they were going to treat me like a kook. It sounded so unbelievable," Mr. Davison told The Blade in April, 2004 - after Father Robinson was arrested and charged in Sister Margaret Ann's death.
He told The Blade he believed police had not aggressively pursued the priest as a suspect at the time because many who oversaw the investigation were Catholic - which they strongly denied. But that assertion caught the attention of national media. He received 66 calls within 24 hours from journalists and producers - the New York Times, the Today show, and CBS News among them - and a filmmaker offering cash for rights to the story. Mr. Davison answered questions. But he declined enticements as "blood money."
Robinson was convicted in May, 2006.
"This is long overdue and a big surprise," Mr. Davison said then. "I've lost a lot of faith in people, and I thought sure as hell that at least one juror would hold out, so I was in shock."
His brother said: "He had a strong conviction of right and wrong. He felt people needed to stand up and do what was right, and he felt a police officer could do that."
Mr. Davison was a cruelty investigator about five years in the 1990s for the Toledo Area Humane Society. He rescued dogs and most often had four or five in his care.
"That's how he coped with things," his brother said. "He loved animals, and he could come home and spend time with his dogs and not socialize too much with people."
In 1998, Mr. Davison wrote an essay for The Blade's Pages of Opinion in which he proposed creation of a Toledo office of animal control, led by an animal ombudsman. The public-private agency would bind together animal welfare groups to prevent sick and abandoned animals from suffering or roaming the streets.
Mr. Davison ran unsuccessfully for Toledo Board of Education in 1979 and for Toledo City Council in 2006.
"He was an honest, upright person who always stood up for what he thought was right," his brother said.
He was born May 26, 1950, in Toledo, to Jean and Coda Davison. He was a graduate of Start High School. He had an associate degree and a bachelor of police administration degree from the University of Toledo.
Surviving are his brother, Coda Davison, and half brother Harold Ridgeway.
There will be no visitation or services. Arrangements are by Caring Cremation Services.
The family suggests tributes Toledo Animal Rescue or any no-kill shelter.
This is a news story by Mark Zaborney. Contact him at [email protected] 419-724-6182.
Published in The Blade on Mar. 15, 2020
David Davison, 69 of Toledo, Ohio passed away March 10, 2020. David was born on May 26, 1950 in Toledo, Ohio to Coda and Jean (Eckhart) Davison. David was a graduate of the Roy C. Start High School and the University of Toledo with a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice. David worked for the Toledo Police Department for 18 years retiring in 1992. David also worked for 5 years as an animal cruelty investigator for the Toledo Humane Society.
Mr. Davison was an avid reader of books going to the local library 3 to 4 times a week. Mr. Davison was also a former member of the Toledo Patrolman's Union.
Mr. Davison was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Ronald and Byron Ridgeway. Surviving are his brothers, Coda (Carol) Davison, and Harold (Barbara) Ridgeway.
There will be no visitation or services. The family suggests memorials to the Toledo Animal Rescue 640 Wyman St. Toledo, Ohio 43609. Arrangements by Caring Cremation Services.
www.berstickerscottfuneralhome.com
(News story) David Davison, fueled by a sense of truth and justice to work in law enforcement, investigate animal cruelty, and run for office, and whose pursuit of a cold case as a civilian attracted wide attention after a Catholic priest was arrested for murdering a nun years before, died Tuesday in South Toledo of an apparent heart attack. He was 69.
He was in his vehicle on Glendale Avenue when he suffered the heart attack and drove off the road, his brother, Coda Davison, said. He could not be revived.
A duty-related injury caused Mr. Davison of South Toledo to retire about 1990 from the Toledo police force. On April 5, 1980, he was among the first officers to see Sister Margaret Ann Pahl dead in the sacristy of a chapel in Mercy Hospital. He was in the hospital cafeteria, on break during his patrol shift, when a nurse rushed to the table to say the sister's body had been discovered. She'd been stabbed repeatedly.
Mr. Davison said later that, though he wasn't one of the primary investigators, several hospital staff members told him that police should consider the Rev. Gerald Robinson, a hospital chaplain, as a suspect.
No one was prosecuted then. Mr. Davison after he retired wrote to police and city officials and the Vatican to reopen the case. His public records requests yielded hundreds of pages of documents. And then he gave up.
"I figured they were going to treat me like a kook. It sounded so unbelievable," Mr. Davison told The Blade in April, 2004 - after Father Robinson was arrested and charged in Sister Margaret Ann's death.
He told The Blade he believed police had not aggressively pursued the priest as a suspect at the time because many who oversaw the investigation were Catholic - which they strongly denied. But that assertion caught the attention of national media. He received 66 calls within 24 hours from journalists and producers - the New York Times, the Today show, and CBS News among them - and a filmmaker offering cash for rights to the story. Mr. Davison answered questions. But he declined enticements as "blood money."
Robinson was convicted in May, 2006.
"This is long overdue and a big surprise," Mr. Davison said then. "I've lost a lot of faith in people, and I thought sure as hell that at least one juror would hold out, so I was in shock."
His brother said: "He had a strong conviction of right and wrong. He felt people needed to stand up and do what was right, and he felt a police officer could do that."
Mr. Davison was a cruelty investigator about five years in the 1990s for the Toledo Area Humane Society. He rescued dogs and most often had four or five in his care.
"That's how he coped with things," his brother said. "He loved animals, and he could come home and spend time with his dogs and not socialize too much with people."
In 1998, Mr. Davison wrote an essay for The Blade's Pages of Opinion in which he proposed creation of a Toledo office of animal control, led by an animal ombudsman. The public-private agency would bind together animal welfare groups to prevent sick and abandoned animals from suffering or roaming the streets.
Mr. Davison ran unsuccessfully for Toledo Board of Education in 1979 and for Toledo City Council in 2006.
"He was an honest, upright person who always stood up for what he thought was right," his brother said.
He was born May 26, 1950, in Toledo, to Jean and Coda Davison. He was a graduate of Start High School. He had an associate degree and a bachelor of police administration degree from the University of Toledo.
Surviving are his brother, Coda Davison, and half brother Harold Ridgeway.
There will be no visitation or services. Arrangements are by Caring Cremation Services.
The family suggests tributes Toledo Animal Rescue or any no-kill shelter.
This is a news story by Mark Zaborney. Contact him at [email protected] 419-724-6182.
Published in The Blade on Mar. 15, 2020
Mr. Davison was an avid reader of books going to the local library 3 to 4 times a week. Mr. Davison was also a former member of the Toledo Patrolman's Union.
Mr. Davison was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Ronald and Byron Ridgeway. Surviving are his brothers, Coda (Carol) Davison, and Harold (Barbara) Ridgeway.
There will be no visitation or services. The family suggests memorials to the Toledo Animal Rescue 640 Wyman St. Toledo, Ohio 43609. Arrangements by Caring Cremation Services.
www.berstickerscottfuneralhome.com
(News story) David Davison, fueled by a sense of truth and justice to work in law enforcement, investigate animal cruelty, and run for office, and whose pursuit of a cold case as a civilian attracted wide attention after a Catholic priest was arrested for murdering a nun years before, died Tuesday in South Toledo of an apparent heart attack. He was 69.
He was in his vehicle on Glendale Avenue when he suffered the heart attack and drove off the road, his brother, Coda Davison, said. He could not be revived.
A duty-related injury caused Mr. Davison of South Toledo to retire about 1990 from the Toledo police force. On April 5, 1980, he was among the first officers to see Sister Margaret Ann Pahl dead in the sacristy of a chapel in Mercy Hospital. He was in the hospital cafeteria, on break during his patrol shift, when a nurse rushed to the table to say the sister's body had been discovered. She'd been stabbed repeatedly.
Mr. Davison said later that, though he wasn't one of the primary investigators, several hospital staff members told him that police should consider the Rev. Gerald Robinson, a hospital chaplain, as a suspect.
No one was prosecuted then. Mr. Davison after he retired wrote to police and city officials and the Vatican to reopen the case. His public records requests yielded hundreds of pages of documents. And then he gave up.
"I figured they were going to treat me like a kook. It sounded so unbelievable," Mr. Davison told The Blade in April, 2004 - after Father Robinson was arrested and charged in Sister Margaret Ann's death.
He told The Blade he believed police had not aggressively pursued the priest as a suspect at the time because many who oversaw the investigation were Catholic - which they strongly denied. But that assertion caught the attention of national media. He received 66 calls within 24 hours from journalists and producers - the New York Times, the Today show, and CBS News among them - and a filmmaker offering cash for rights to the story. Mr. Davison answered questions. But he declined enticements as "blood money."
Robinson was convicted in May, 2006.
"This is long overdue and a big surprise," Mr. Davison said then. "I've lost a lot of faith in people, and I thought sure as hell that at least one juror would hold out, so I was in shock."
His brother said: "He had a strong conviction of right and wrong. He felt people needed to stand up and do what was right, and he felt a police officer could do that."
Mr. Davison was a cruelty investigator about five years in the 1990s for the Toledo Area Humane Society. He rescued dogs and most often had four or five in his care.
"That's how he coped with things," his brother said. "He loved animals, and he could come home and spend time with his dogs and not socialize too much with people."
In 1998, Mr. Davison wrote an essay for The Blade's Pages of Opinion in which he proposed creation of a Toledo office of animal control, led by an animal ombudsman. The public-private agency would bind together animal welfare groups to prevent sick and abandoned animals from suffering or roaming the streets.
Mr. Davison ran unsuccessfully for Toledo Board of Education in 1979 and for Toledo City Council in 2006.
"He was an honest, upright person who always stood up for what he thought was right," his brother said.
He was born May 26, 1950, in Toledo, to Jean and Coda Davison. He was a graduate of Start High School. He had an associate degree and a bachelor of police administration degree from the University of Toledo.
Surviving are his brother, Coda Davison, and half brother Harold Ridgeway.
There will be no visitation or services. Arrangements are by Caring Cremation Services.
The family suggests tributes Toledo Animal Rescue or any no-kill shelter.
This is a news story by Mark Zaborney. Contact him at [email protected] 419-724-6182.
Published in The Blade on Mar. 15, 2020
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