James "Jim" Glen Davidson

James Davidson: He lived fully, loved generously, and never met a stranger he couldn’t turn into a friend. A devoted husband, a playful and deeply proud dad and grandpa, an adventurous uncle, a faithful son, and a man whose entrepreneurial spirit was only rivaled by his Christ-centered heart, he leaves behind a family and community who adored him.

He built boats for a living and a family for a lifetime.

James (Jim) Glen Davidson, 87, was born September 19, 1938, in Salt Lake City, to Ralph James Davidson (1997) and June Loretta Goodmanson Davidson (2016). From the very beginning, Jim was a builder of ideas, of businesses, of faith, and of people. He passed away peacefully on February 19, 2026, at home, surrounded by the family he spent his life loving, leading, and enjoying.

Jim grew up in Salt Lake City, where his father first taught him to fish. A lesson that turned into a lifelong love of camping, creeks, and quiet mornings in Utah’s mountains. He attended East High School and later graduated from South High School in 1955. He went on to attend the University of Utah, where he met Nelda, the prettiest girl at the dance, at the Liberty Stake Center. As the story goes, he was too nervous to ask her to dance because he was so tall. Fortunately for us, he found the courage to ask. On December 13, 1957, he was married and sealed to Nelda Jones Davidson in the Salt Lake City Temple. A decision that shaped every good chapter that followed.

He served in the Air Force from 1960 - 1962 based at Hill Air Force Base and was called on active duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis.

He later earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Westminster College, a foundation that perhaps explains his lifelong ability to read a room, sell an idea, and encourage a young man toward greatness.

Jim was a salesman by trade, but truly, he was a believer - in products, in people, and in possibility. He spent 27 years with Western Toy and Hobby, beginning as a traveling salesman across small towns in Utah, Nevada, Idaho, and Wyoming. He later rose to General Manager, but he never lost his fondness for the road. Even decades later, driving through tiny towns, he would point out storefronts and proudly announce, “I had an account there.”

Christmas, of course, was his season. During his toy business years, he organized legendary friends and family shopping nights in the toy showroom, offering special deals, laughter echoing between aisles, and parents grateful for a little extra help making magic happen. That generosity carried into his role as Grandpa, where the annual gift display for grandchildren and great-grandchildren was nothing short of a production. Every gift carefully arranged and every person was welcome.

In 1988, Jim ventured into entrepreneurship and acquired Hydroswift Boats which became his passion. He built the manufacturing and dealership business alongside his sons. There were countless road trips to boat shows, long conversations, life lessons disguised as logistics, and at least one hitchhiker story per trip. He would confidently tell customers that Hydroswift boats were “the best built, best performing boats on the market,” and he meant it. The craftsmanship mattered to him. The legacy mattered more. Today, nearly all of his children still enjoy their own Hydroswift boat, except one, a fact that was never allowed to go unnoticed.

If business built the boats, Lake Powell built the memories. Jim loved family vacations, family reunions filled with camping, fishing, hiking red rock canyons, sleeping on the rocks and squeezing a boat through narrow canyon walls with the steady calm of a captain who knew exactly what he was doing. He could park the massive houseboat on a dime and then spend half the vacation fixing whatever needed attention - he was skilled enough to fix anything. Over the years there were waterski pyramids, tangled ropes, daring attempts to see how many skiers one boat could pull, and brave volunteers sent swimming into murky water to find “the waterfall just around the next bend.” Evenings often times ended with his legendary “Old Abe” tale - an adventure that somehow grew deeper, darker, and more dramatic every single time he told it.

A Scouter for life, Jim poured himself into youth leadership through the Boy Scouts of America - Great Salt Lake Council. He served as District Commissioner and Council Commissioner and received the prestigious Silver Beaver Award. He encouraged each of his sons, his grandsons, and many young men to earn their Eagle Scout Award. He believed boys should grow into men of courage, service, and integrity, and he helped build that path for them.

Jim faced personal challenges throughout his life, meeting them with humility, determination and a quiet resolve that strengthened both his faith and his family. A devoted member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he served faithfully in bishoprics, youth callings, as a stake missionary, at the FamilySearch Library, and for over 30 years in the temple. He served his mission at Temple Square where he met people from all backgrounds of life. When he met someone new whether at a gas station, a boat show, or along a highway somewhere in the West, he rarely let them leave without sharing his testimony of the divinity of Jesus Christ. His faith was not quiet, it was lived, spoken, and offered freely.

At the heart of Jim’s life was his beloved wife, Nelda Jones Davidson. From the very beginning, she stood beside him - through the early salesman years, the leap into entrepreneurship, the boat shows, the lake adventures, and every season in between. Nelda’s patience was legendary, especially considering the boats that regularly occupied the driveway and the parts that quietly claimed territory in the garage. She was loving, creative, steady, and strong. The calm to his momentum, the order to his projects, the grace to his grand plans. In his later years, she cared for him with tender devotion, just as faithfully as she had walked beside him for nearly seven decades. If Jim built boats and businesses, Nelda built the home and the heart that made it all possible. Their marriage was his proudest partnership and the foundation beneath every success.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents; his brother Robert; his sister Sharon J. D. Kotilla; and his son Dean (Annette).

He is survived by six sons and three daughters: Linda (Jim), Greg (Ruth), Ron (Darla), Randal (Andrea), Janelle (Randy), Jonathan (Stephanie), Trisa (Doug), Steven (Sheree) and Todd(Ashley); along with 40 grandchildren and 36 great-grandchildren. Each carrying forward his stories, his laughter, his faith, and perhaps a little of his competitive spirit.

The family extends heartfelt thanks to all those that loved and supported him through his last weeks.

Funeral services will be held Monday, March 9 at 11:00 a.m. at the LDS chapel, 9880 S. 3100 E., Sandy, Utah, with a viewing beginning at 9:30 a.m. A viewing will also be held Sunday evening from 6:00–8:00 p.m. at the same location.

We know that wherever Dad is now, he has already found his mother, father, brother, sister and son. He’s located a body of water, gathered a willing crew, and is handing someone a gift - with the option to trade it or keep it.