Canon Arthur Howells writes:
DOUGLAS TUDOR DAVIES was born on 15 May 1920, the second of four children, in the village of Glyndyfrdwy, where his father was Vicar. Aged eight, he became a chorister at Christ Church, Oxford. With a degree from Bangor University, he trained for ordination at Mirfield, where the spiritual discipline shaped his ministry. He was ordained in Brecon Cathedral, in 1946, and served his title at Christ Church, Swansea.
Douglas was a “Prayer Book Catholic”; the eucharist and daily Offices were central to his spiritual life. While embracing the sacramentalism, ritual, ceremonial, and beauty of the Catholic liturgy, he remained faithful to the principles of Anglicanism enshrined in the Book of Common Prayer. The Daily Offices were his staple diet and, indeed, after his retirement, if you rang between five and six in the evening, his wife, Pat, would inform you that Doug could not be disturbed because he was saying the Office.
He celebrated the eucharist with dignity and devotion, his knowledge of the scriptures was phenomenal, and his sermons were preached with gentleness, conviction, and challenge. He was once asked by an ordinand: “How do you prepare your sermons, Fr Davies?”, to which he replied, without hesitation, “On my knees.” Rarely were his sermons written out, but they were always relevant, meaningful. and encouraging.
From Swansea, Douglas moved to Oystermouth, and then to the north of the diocese, to Llangunllo with Bleddfa, a remote parish in Radnorshire. As a country parson, he had many stories to tell. One was of a young lady who was learning to play the organ. One Sunday night, her mother, who was not a regular churchgoer, decided to attend evensong to see how she was getting on, To his horror, Douglas realised that she was the only member of the congregation. He did not want to disappoint her, as she had come especially to hear her daughter play; so evensong went on with Douglas not only officiating, but energetically pumping the organ while trying to sing the hymns, breathlessly lead the service, and preach.
He became Vicar of St Alban’s, Treboeth, a busy parish, with a round of daily services, a growing congregation, a flourishing youth group, and an emphasis on family life and work with children. He also introduced healing services. He received countless invitations to conduct retreats and quiet days. He was a gifted pastor whose people responded to his love for them and recognised that this was a love that emanated from the God of love. He had a remarkable capacity for setting people at ease, young or old, whatever their background; their well-being was his priority. His gentle manner, humility, and wisdom were among the many gifts that drew people to him when they needed guidance and spiritual direction.
He also involved the church in ecumenical activity in the Mynyddbach Council of Churches, and with Methodist colleagues, was responsible for establishing a united-church project at Penlan, a large housing estate in his parish.
In 1981, he became chaplain to the newly built hospice at Ty Olwen, a post he held for 19 years. Here, his pastoral gifts and his love of people were a source of hope for both staff and patients. He was delighted when a room was set aside as a chapel, which, he used to tell people, was “a place to have a cwtch with God”.
Douglas’s 100th-birthday celebration had to be curtailed because of Covid restrictions; but that did not stop a cavalcade of cars from wending their way along Swansea Road, with horns hooting and flags flying, as he and Pat stood on their doorstep, waving.
Characteristically, Douglas asked that at the close of the eucharist of thanksgiving for his life, at which the Bishop of Swansea & Brecon presided, we should affirm our faith in the resurrection by singing “Jesus Christ is risen today” and proclaiming, “We are an Easter people, and alleluia is our song.”
Douglas Tudor Davies died on 25 October, aged 103. He is survived by Pat, and their children, Andrew, Tim, and Cathie.