Thomas E. Davenport, formerly of Harrisburg
Thomas E. Davenport of Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, passed away on Nov. 16, 2021. He was 92 years old.
A beloved husband, father and stepfather, Tom was born in Harrisburg, Illinois, to Louis and Geneva (Horning) Davenport on Jan. 31, 1929. He grew up with his two brothers, Bob and Cliff.
A star basketball player and class president at Harrisburg High School, he attended DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. After graduation, he enlisted in the U.S. Army as a 2nd Lieutenant and was stationed at the European Command Headquarters in Heidelberg, Germany under the command of Lt. Gen. Harry P. Storke.
During his service, he met and married the general's daughter, Lois ("Pat") in 1953.
They moved back to his hometown of Harrisburg, where he took a job selling life insurance with Lincoln National Life. This was the start of a long career with Lincoln, leading to managing his own office in Champaign, Illinois, chartering the company's expansion into New England from Wellesley, Massachusetts, and finally heading up one of its premier offices in Cleveland, Ohio. He retired in 1988.
After the loss of his first wife, Pat, he married Elaine Michaels of Akron, Ohio in 1984. They made a home in the Palm Beach, Florida area for over 35 years. An avid golfer, Tom was an active member of several country clubs over the years, including Wellesley and Portage in Akron and Lost Tree Village in North Palm Beach.
Tom was the beloved father of Pamela DaSilva and her husband, Joseph, of Walpole, Massachusetts and Carol Marti and her husband, Robert, of Raynham, Massachusetts.
He is also survived by four grandchildren, Thomas DaSilva, Jessica Pelletier (Ryan), Sam Marti (Christa) and Elizabeth Marti (Brandon Ouellette), all of Massachusetts; his second wife, Elaine of Florida and three stepchildren, Stephanie Gilbert (Larry) and Pamela Michaels of Florida, and Mark Michaels of Ohio; four step-grandchildren, Bart Naughton (Vennie) of Massachusetts, Mark McGown of Oregon, Jeannie Hagler of South Dakota and Andrew Michaels of Ohio. He was also the loving great-grandfather of Fiona and Owen Pelletier of Rhode Island and Wesley Naughton of Massachusetts.
A graveside burial service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, June 25, in the Davenport-Horning family plot in Harrisburg Cemetery where he will be put to rest next to his first wife, Pat, his parents, two brothers, and other beloved family members.
In lieu of flowers or other remembrances for Tom, donations may be made to the American Breast Cancer Foundation in the name of Pat Davenport or Elaine Davenport.