Bret D Davidson

Davidson, Bret D.

Bret D. Davidson Obituary Bret D. Davidson, 41, of Raleigh, N. C., passed away early in the morning on July 10 with his family by his side at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, Md., after a courageous battle with cancer over the last fifteen months.

Born in Kittanning, August 1, 1978, he was the son of Thomas G. Davidson and the late Linda K. (Ellsworth) Davidson.

Bret graduated as valedictorian from Karns City High School in 1996. He was an accomplished musician and while at Duquesne University he played euphonium in Pittsburgh’s renowned River City Brass Band. After receiving a BS in Music Education from Duquesne University he taught music and directed the band first at Beaver Falls High School, then later in Illinois. He later received Master of Information Science and Master of Library Science with Digital Libraries Specialization degrees from Indiana University Bloomington where he was awarded the School of Library and Information Science Merit Scholarship and the H.W. Wilson Scholarship.

Bret joined the Library Department of North Carolina State University in the spring of 2012 as an NCSU Libraries Fellow in Digital Library Initiatives. In 2017, he became Associate Head of DLI, managing the entire lifecycle of projects and serving as a mentor and technical leader to staff, fellows, and graduate students. NC State describes Bret’s legacy at the Libraries as “much more than a list of projects and programs – within a sometimes siloed field, he was a remarkable collaborator and connector of people”.

Bret enjoyed classical music, especially Mahler, fishing, camping, and being with friends. He made a point of keeping old friendships alive.

He is survived by his father and his step-mother, Barbara A. (Geibel) Davidson of Butler; his brother, Travis P. Davidson of Bogota N.J.; his sister, Dr. Susan K. (Davidson) Sankova, and her husband Dr. Dmitry Kiyatkin of Baltimore, Md.; two step-sisters Adriane L. (Smith) Broadie and her husband Quinton of Butler, and Amber L. (Smith) Cromerdie and her husband Jermaine of McKeesport; and several nieces and nephews.

At Bret’s request there will be no public viewing or service. The family will have a private memorial on his birthday. He requested cremation and interment beside his mother in Bear Creek Cemetery.

Bret will forever be remembered for his love of family, a wonderful sense of humor, and his warm engaging smile.

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