James "Jim" Charles Davidheiser

James “Jim” Charles Davidheiser, age 84, of Sewanee, Tennessee, died on September 10, 2025, in a nursing facility in Nashville, where he spent the last eight months of his life.  He was born on April 25, 1941, in Reading, Pennsylvania, to Marguerite and Charles Davidheiser.  Jim graduated from Reading Central Catholic High school and was the first person in his family to attend college. He attended La Salle University in Philadelphia and received his master’s and doctorate in German from the University of Pittsburgh.

As a lover of foreign languages, and especially all things German, he taught a fellowship post-graduate year at the University of Mainz in Germany where he met his future wife and love of his life, Marilyn.  They married in 1969 and moved to Delaware where he taught German at the University of Delaware for seven years.  In 1976, after the birth of their two children, the family moved to Sewanee where Jim taught in the University of the South’s German Department for 38 years.

What struck everyone who met Jim was his infectious enthusiasm, his amazing energy, and his tireless advocacy of all matters pertaining to German culture and language at the local, the state, national and international level. His ability to communicate his passion for German with almost anyone inside and outside of academe made Sewanee’s German department known throughout the United States.

Jim founded the University of the South’s German House in 1977, served repeatedly as Chair of the German Department, and established the school’s successful student exchange program.  In 1999 he received the prestigious Student-Exchange Award by the Federation of German-American Clubs for “furthering German-American relations.”

After founding Sewanee’s local chapter of the German Honor Society “Delta Phi Alpha” in 1994, Jim was elected its national president in 2013. For his various offices and advocacy initiatives for German on the national level Jim was awarded the “Certificate of Merit” by the American Association of Teachers of German in 1999.

Jim was a tireless foreign language advocate and was nationally renowned as a lecturer on topics ranging from the European Union, East and West German relations, to traditional fairy tales. For his service on the state level, Jim received the coveted Jacqueline Elliott Award for Outstanding Service in Higher Education by the Tennessee Foreign Language Teaching Association in 2006.

Jim took great pride in his academic accomplishments but what stands out most was his unique teaching method and relationships with students, both of which were a direct result of his personality and his high levels of passion and energy. He often took students out to coffee and meals, attended their parties, and invited them into his home.  To the delight of his students, Dr. D, as his students called him, would bring his teachings to life by holding class in costume, jumping up on his desk, and throwing things out the classroom window to illustrate a point.

A devout Catholic, Jim spent his life trying to live the Christian values of love for the Lord and others, peace, justice, generosity, and integrity. Jim was a faithful member of Good Shepherd Church in Decherd and an active member of the Cumberland Center for Justice and Peace.He was a founding member of the Sewanee Catholic Community, which met for decades at the School of Theology, and formed close personal friendships with Catholic students. He had a strong moral compass and tried to help anyone he thought was suffering or in need.  Jim supported many non-profit organizations both locally and internationally, particularly those focused on addressing hunger, education, animal rights and relief services.

Jim was a devoted family man who took great pride in his immediate and extended family. Despite having a busy work life, he always prioritized spending time with family, traveling to Pennsylvania and New Jersey multiple times a year for visits.  He had close personal relationships with each of his mother’s eight sisters and brothers and even quizzed his children regularly on their names, their spouses’ names, and ages. Jim was an incredibly proud and active father and grandfather and loved his family unconditionally.

Jim was preceded in death by his wife Marilyn Potter Davidheiser, son Mark Frederick Davidheiser, and sister Nancy Davidheiser Mitchell. He is survived by his daughter Carolyn Davidheiser Price (David Loizeaux Price); grandchildren Eva Price and James Price; nieces Donna Mitchell Russo and Barbara Mitchell Russ, and nephew Steven Anthony Mitchell. He is also survived by numerous cousins, grandnieces and grandnephews.

A memorial service will be celebrated on Saturday, October 4, 2025, at 4:30pm at All Saints Chapel in Sewanee followed by a reception at Convocation Hall. A funeral mass will be held at Jim’s home parish of Good Shepherd Church, Decherd, TN at 10:30am on Friday, October 17^th followed by a reception in the parish hall.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Jim’s honor to the University of the South German Department to support student scholarships. https://www.givecampus.com/s/cpwrrd

Arrangements are in the care of: Compassion Funeral & Cremation Services, 6949 Charlotte Pike, Suite 104, Nashville, TN 37209. (615) 857-9955.  We are proud to be locally owned and operated.