Raydean Davis was One of Them

Raydean Davis was one of them.

I was a newly-minted seminary graduate appointed to 2.5 churches (ask me about that sometime), and was at one of my first Continuing Education events.  Coffee cup in hand, I was wandering the area we’d now call The Resource Display.   Back then I think it was just The Cokesbury Book Table “and some other stuff.”

Surrounded by presumed pastors in suits and ties, with a few in women’s versions of Power Suits and Scarves Cleverly Tied to Mimic Those Ties, I was trying my best to look more professional and less terrified.

That’s when a shadow fell over the stack of books in front of me.  I turned to see what had happened.

A giant guy.  Not wearing a suit.  Certainly not wearing a tie.  Smiling at me.  Introduced himself.  Asked my name.

In the midst of a great but all-too-brief conversation, he told me to check out an author who quickly became a favorite of mine.  We laughed a lot.  He invited me to join him and some friends later that day for some socializing, fellowship, and uh recreational activities.  Over the years as our paths crossed, we compared notes about various writers and other interests.

I absorbed even more than I learned from him.

A few months ago, he was a speaker at an event where Patty and I were.  I introduced them and stood back as she became as fascinated and impressed by him as I was.

Then it happened.  Unexpectedly, following a bicycle accident, it happened.

And so it was that one week ago today, a large group of us gathered for “A Service Celebrating the Life of Reverend C. Raydean Davis — August 9,1941-May 1, 2014.”

There are some people who make lasting impressions with their words and actions of encouragement and grace.

Raydean Davis was one of them.