Bret Davidson

Bret D. Davidson, 41, of Raleigh, N.C., passed away early in the morning on July 10, 2020, with his family by his side at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center in Baltimore, Md., after a courageous battle with cancer over the last 15 months.

Born Aug. 1, 1978, in Kittanning, 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 B.S. 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. North Carolina State described 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, Thomas, and his stepmother, 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 stepsisters, 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.

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

DAVIDSON — Per his request, there will be no public viewing or service for Bret D. Davidson, who died Friday, July 10, 2020.

The family will have a private memorial on his birthday.

He requested cremation and interment beside his mother in Bear Creek Cemetery.

Arrangements are under the direction of Marzullo Funeral Chapel, 6009 Harford Road, Baltimore, Md.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Bret D. Davidson, please visit our floral store.

Please visit www.marzullofuneralchapel.com.