Robert Remer Davidson

Dodgeville / Baraboo - Robert Remer Davidson passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family at Agrace Hospice on Saturday January 13, 2018. Bob was born March 10, 1935 in West Allis Wisconsin to Russell Harry Davidson and Norma Mary Davidson. Bob grew up in West Allis attending the West Allis Methodist Church. He spent much of his youth in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and enjoyed visiting there often up until the last family trip to Republic, MI in the summer of 2017. He graduated from Nathan Hale High School in 1953. He went on to graduate from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor's Degree in Forest Management and a Master's Degree in Forest Economics in 1959. At the University of Minnesota, he was Chairman of student union governing board. He was co-chair for the half and half dances on the St. Paul Campus, which included ballroom and square dancing. The summer after his freshman year at the University of Minnesota he spent at summer camp at Itasca State Park with his best friend/best man Jake Jacqueth. The 2 of them won the cross-cut saw competition in the yearly Forestry Day's events! Bob was a Forestry Specialist at Iowa State University through 1963. In Ames, he had a 13-acre tree farm where he grew Christmas trees through a Conservation program of taking farm land and putting it into Forestry. He also had a small TV show that was educational information regarding forestry. He hosted that 1 time per month out of Omaha Nebraska. Bob received an MBA - Master's Degree in Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 1965. Most of Bob's career was directed toward small-business management. It included teaching (adult education) and counseling owner-managers of small, independently-owned businesses of 10 to 50 employees. As a faculty member of the University of Wisconsin-Extension, he was involved with both the Cooperative Extension Service and the Small-Business Development Center. After graduating from Harvard Business School, he became involved with two small businesses for 7 years, as co-owner, Lumber Listing Service, Inc. and Communications for Business, Inc. After those two business endeavors, the University of Wisconsin-Extension contacted him about a new initiative in southeast Wisconsin assisting non-farm small businesses to prosper. The UW-Extension experience (20 years) Bob found to be "amazingly satisfying," and he had an excellent career. In 1990, he became eligible for an early-out retirement option and took it to start Pro Forma, Inc. a business that made business plans and financial projections for new startups and companies that wanted to expand. He operated Pro Forma, Inc. for 20 years and closed it six months after the Lord called his third wife Rachel home after a three-year bout with ovarian cancer. After closing Pro Forma, Inc. he devoted himself full-time to vocational ministry, teaching the practical application of Biblical fundamentals. It's part of the "House Church" movement which he enjoyed for the remainder of his life. He did two overseas stints with Volunteers in Overseas Cooperative Assistance, a contractor to the Agency for International Development in the State Department. The best way to describe VOCA is that it's a retired college professors' "Peace Corps." The first assignment was in Macedonia, training new loan officers in the Stopanska Banka AD. The training was how to make commercial loans. This assignment involved traveling around the country holding training sessions at many Stopanska branch banks. The second assignment was in the Slovak Republic working with one high-tech company developing a crop-production reporting system countrywide. Both experiences Bob said were "chance of a lifetime" opportunities. Bob is survived by his wife Carol and they greatly enjoyed small-town living in rural, agriculturally farm-based southwestern Wisconsin. He liked to visit Spring Green and attend the live music jams with acoustic and blue-grass musicians. He continued to teach Bible Studies, attend Bible Study Groups, and devoted his time to vocational ministry. He was Deacon at Abundant Life Christian Center in Dodgeville, WI where his Transformation Celebration will be held. He was preceded in death by his sister MaryAnn Hoard [Davidson] and his third wife Rachel Davidson [Larson]. Bob is survived by his current wife Carol Davidson, his first wife Jean Davidson and his second wife Mary Jane Davidson, his daughters Kari Davidson, Deanna Brinkley [Davidson] Linda Lange [Davidson] and Lanette Davidson. He is also survived by many stepchildren, step grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and step great-grandchildren. Bob's Transformation Celebration will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 20, 2018 at ABUNDANT LIFE CHRISTIAN CENTER, 322 N. Level Street, Dodgeville, WI. Pastor Wayne Kennedy will officiate. Visitation will be held from 11:00 a.m. until time of services on Saturday at the church. A luncheon will follow.

Robert Remer Davidson

March 10, 1935 - January 13, 2018