Lydia Josephine Davidsmeier died while hiking in the Rocky Mountains on May 19, 2022. She was surrounded by natural beauty and with beloved friends.
She celebrated 21 years on this earth, and her larger-than-life free spirit was a gift and blessing to the lives that she touched. Lydia planned to add many more travels to her new passport, starting with a study abroad trip in June to experience and study the Arctic summer in Sweden. Her earthly travels may have been cut short, but Lydia was intentional about living for each moment.
Lydia was well-known in the community, both for her love of nature and lending a helping hand. She was a lifelong member of Shiloh Cumberland Presbyterian Church, volunteered for many civic organizations along with participating in band, 4-H, volleyball, soccer and recently, fishing for squirrels in Urbana.
Lydia was inducted into the National Honor Society while attending Beardstown High School. After graduating from Beardstown High School Class of 2019, she continued her education at University of Illinois majoring in Earth, Society & Environmental Sustainability, and minoring in Horticulture. Lydia was involved in many social and environmental justice organizations, the Wesley Foundation Student Center, and she was employed by Common Ground Food Co-op. She was a former social work intern at University of Illinois Women’s Resource Center and during the past few summers, Lydia worked with the Summer Migrant Program at Beardstown Schools and volunteered with the Beardstown Houston Memorial Library summer reading program.
She was devoted to all things natural and wild: plants, animals, butterflies, owls, and anything that needed to thrive and be free. She wanted to make the world a better place, in as many ways as possible. She was passionate about environmental issues. She loved cats, art, and baking banana bread. She knew no stranger and made time to visit and befriend many different people along her path.
Left to fulfill her passions are her parents, Elissa and Chad Harrison of rural Virginia; a brother, William Davidsmeier and sister, Lucinda Harrison of rural Virginia; her great-grandmother, Sarah Davidsmeier of rural Virginia; her grandparents, Penny Davidsmeier of rural Virginia, and Rob and Ruth Harrison of Industry; four aunts, Victory Moore of rural Virginia, Maria Davidsmeier of Minneapolis, Nicci (husband Todd) Ritchie of Camden, and Summer (husband Jake) Shanle of Cedar Rapids; an uncle, Thomas (wife Rebecca) Davidsmeier of St. Charles; 13 cousins, Maxwell Moore, and Hannah, Myra, Sarah, Rachel, Joseph, Peter, Ezekiel, Nineveh, and Verity Davidsmeier, Ty Ritchie, and Trevor Shanle; and other close family members; as well as many cherished friends.
She was greeted in Heaven by her beloved family, including her grandfather, Martin Davidsmeier, her great-aunt, Susan Smith, her great-grandmother, Louise Schroll, her great-grandfather, Russel E. Davidsmeier, and others that went on before.
A Celebration of Life was held at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 28, 2022 at Colwell Memorial Home in Beardstown. Burial was in Walnut Ridge Cemetery in Virginia.
Memorials have been suggested to Illinois Native Plant Society or Big City Mountaineers. Condolences may be left online at www.colwellmemorialhome.com or on Facebook at Colwell Memorial Home.
