Emily Ann Haas Davidson died suddenly yet peacefully at home in New York city on Nov. 19, 2022. She was 83.

She was born in Kansas City, Mo. in 1939. In 1950, her parents, the late Emil and Ann Haas, first brought their daughters to vacation for summers in Chilmark. As adults, she and her sister continued the family tradition of being summer residents on Stonewall Road in Chilmark.

Emily and her husband Bruce Davidson spent each summer together on the Vineyard and raised their two daughters and grandchildren to run around barefoot at the Chilmark Community Center. She was a beloved part of the Chilmark community and will be dearly missed by all who knew her.

After graduating from Bard College with a degree in history, she studied theater at the Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art in London. She performed at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. She loved dance, music and visual arts, and wove those influences into all facets of her life.

In 1967 she married photographer Bruce Davidson and traded life on the stage to work as a photographer’s collaborator.

Emily was an extremely passionate woman and spent her life following those passions. She was the first student of Jewish descent chosen for the American Field Service and sent to Germany after World War II. She performed in several off-Broadway productions in New York city and was an avid dancer under the tutelage of Jack Wiener.

She was a model, stylist and published author of Bobby’s Book, which brought the struggles of former drug addict and criminal Bobby Powers to print. She also studied child psychology at Hunter College in New York and volunteered with the Ackerman Institute AIDS Project in the 1990s.

Emily was a gracious, warm, loving and strong woman who carried herself with grace and poise. She set the bar high for being both the essence of femininity and grace while also strong and resilient. She always had a wonderful sense of style and humor balanced with a keen intellect, an analytical mind and a love of discussing politics. She was an avid NPR listener and supporter of public radio.

She loved to cook and brought people together with her warm meals. In by gone days she often brought together large gatherings effortlessly and with flare. She found joy in making connections in her neighborhood and wherever she traveled. She knew the cheese monger at Fairway by name as he knew hers.

Emily had an incomparable energy that made all who knew her fall in love with her. She was incredibly positive and had a natural ability to find the positive in anyone, everything and every situation. She made anyone who walked through her door feel welcome. She was a devoted, loyal daughter, sister, wife, mother and friend.

Her moral compass was a beacon of light for many, and she encompassed a strong sense of responsibility to think critically about humanity and injustice.

Emily is survived by her husband, the internationally-renowned photographer Bruce Davidson; their daughters Anna Mia Davidson and Jenny Beth Davidson Brammer; son in law Bill Brammer; grandchildren James, Eden, Cove and Elias; sister Sandra Berler, brother in law David Berler, brother in law Burt Davidson and sister in law Pat Davidson. 

Memorial donations can made to the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (ADRC) in New York city to help support advancements in the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer’s and dementia: giving.mountsinai.org/adrc. Please remember to add Emily Davidson in the recognition tab on the link.