Evelyn Davidson, retired teacher, stellar athlete

Evelyn Davidson, 74, passed away Saturday, Nov. 30, 2024, at her daughter’s home near Philadelphia, Pa. Lovers of tennis, pickleball and good wine in Lewes and Rehoboth Beach are remembering their passionate friend and fierce on-court competitor. 

Evelyn was a public school teacher for 34 years in Montgomery and Anne Arundel counties in Maryland. She retired and moved to Lewes in 2009. Evelyn played in United States Tennis Association leagues for more than 20 years.  `

Born and raised near San José, Costa Rica, Evelyn was the only daughter of Lydia Rivera Holdridge, a stay-at-home mom from Puerto Rico, and Leslie Holdridge, PhD, a botanist and tropical forester from Connecticut. For much of her childhood, she helped care for the animals and pick coffee and sugar cane on the family’s farm.

Always a stellar athlete, Evelyn played volleyball for her bilingual Lincoln School from the seventh grade on.  After graduating high school in November 1968, she attended the University of Costa Rica for a semester before enrolling at the University of Maryland in September 1969.   At Maryland, she earned undergraduate and graduate degrees in special education, while also starring for the Terrapin volleyball team, including their appearance in Miami in 1972 in the first-ever women’s national collegiate championship tournament. 

Over her teaching career, Evelyn taught all grades K-12.  Her favorite experiences were teaching special education at Broad Acres Elementary and English as a Second Language to students from Latin American, African, and Asian nations, at Sherwood High.

Evelyn played on USTA women’s doubles teams in Maryland, Delaware, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey.  Her teams competed in four USTA national championships, winning second place in Arizona in 2017 and first place in Orlando in 2020.  

Evelyn is cherished for her vibrant personality, generosity, and acerbic wit by her daughters, Marisa (Jeremy) Nash of Havertown, Pa., and Elisa Davidson (Tom Bonner) of Wyncote,  Pa.; her grandchildren, John Soeffing, Samuel Soeffing, Carmen Bonner, Giselle Bonner, Luisa Bonner, Ray Bonner and Lochlan Nash; and her husband, Jan, of Lewes.  

All arrangements are private.