Russell Davenport

Funeral services for Russell Davenport, 91, of Diagonal will be 9 a.m. Saturday, July 22, at Lenox United Methodist Church. Visitation will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday at Ritchie Funeral Home, 124 S. Main St., in Lenox with family greeting friends from 5 to 7 p.m. Memorials may be directed in his name. Interment will be held in Rising Sun Cemetery. Memories may be shared at www.ritchiefuneralhome.com. Arrangements were entrusted to Ritchie Funeral Home of Lenox, where we "Celebrate Life."

Russell Dean Davenport was born Sept. 3, 1925, to John Stewart Davenport and Margaret Lenore Schultz Davenport, on the farm home northwest of Diagonal. Russell attended Lincoln No. 2, Diagonal, a rural school, and graduated from Diagonal High School in 1944.

On June 1, 1952, he married Floy Laura Beck at the Lenox Methodist Church. To this union, Mary Jean was born and later, Roy James joined the family. Russell was a member of Lenox Methodist Church.

With his father’s failing health, Russell helped with all the farming and livestock until his father’s death in July 1948. He continued to farm and helped his mother until her death May 30, 1980. Russell and Roy have continued with the farm.

Russell and Floy bought their home and farm in 1965 from Roy Bolte. Russell also farmed on shares with Lou Vanderpluym for 17 years and shared chores with Fred Moore during vacation times. Russell enjoyed hunting and trapping, spending many hours and miles walking checking his traps and following coyotes for hours on many cold days.

His first tractor was a 1948 Ford 8N. Later he overhauled it a time or so, including when he was 85 years old. He had it in all six KSIB tractor rides. Russell rode about 10 miles of the first five rides and the grandsons finished the rides. He was also a trustee in Lincoln Township, Ringgold County for many years. Russell and another man were hired to measure farm fields for ASCS in the late 1940s using stake and steel wire and a pulley every 100 feet – a hard and tiresome job.

In 1960, Russell purchased a sawmill and spent many long, hard hours cutting down logs and sawing the lumber. People from all directions came to buy lumber. As Roy got older, he was a big help for Russell at the mill. If the job took all day, at noon Floy would have dinner ready for whomever was helping and snacks for a break. With all his nice lumber, Russell gained a wonderful hobby woodworking. He carved all kinds of ducks, miniature carousel horses, lots of pieces of furniture and several eagles with over 50 individual pieces. His mechanical ability of repairing farm machinery and overhauling cars and tractors has been beneficial to him.

He enjoyed square dancing and round dancing, good times with the potluck supper bunch, Old Tyme Power Club, visiting with family, friends and coffee drinkers and different trips he took, including riding the train out to Nevada to see Mary Jean’s family.

Russell was very proud of his little English Ford and his 1948 Indian Chief motorcycle, which he bought both new and later added the sidecar to his motorcycle. He enjoyed his family, and his health was good nearly all his life and his mind stayed very attentive to the last few hours before his death.

Preceding Russell in death were his parents; brothers, John Nels and wife Marjorie, Marshall Lee and Donald Ray; parents-in-law, Adolph and Sylvia Beck; brothers-in-law, Darrell Huber, Jim Beck, Joe Matheny and Kenneth Gose and sister-in-law Velda (Beck) and husband Conrad Mullen.

Survivors include his wife Floy Davenport; daughter Mary Jean (Skylar) Burdette; son Roy Davenport (Shawna Fletcher); grandchildren, Andrea Burdette (Josh Farlow), Clint Burdette, Dillon Davenport, Aaron Davenport and Megan Davenport; great-grandchildren, Aodan and Mia Farlow and Cami Burdette; sister-in-law Lois Davenport and many nieces and nephews.