James A. Davenport, 90, of Elmira, passed away at home surrounded by his loving family Aug. 23, 2008 following a brief illness.
James was born March 27, 1918 in Sayre, the son of General James W. Davenport, Elizabeth M. Croup Burnham, and Lois MacGuffie Davenport.
He is survived by: his loving wife of 67 years, C. Lucille Ackerman Davenport; his children, Judith (Robert) Callene of Kissimmee, Fla., James W. II (Bonnie) Davenport of Elmira, Elizabeth Nancy Sabatura of Horseheads, and Gary B. (Mary) Davenport of Elmira; daughter-in-law Diane Oertel Davenport of Horseheads; grandchildren Regina Noyes, Ralph Arnold, Michele Dixon, Andrea Rousseau, Janelle Oshetski, Sean Davenport, Jozef Sabatura, Nikolas Sabatura, Anya Quattrini, Scott Woodhouse, Andrew Woodhouse and Richard Callene; and 14 great-grandchildren. James is also survived by his siblings, Robert F. Davenport of Stroudsburg, Martha Davenport Schreck of Sayre, and Warren MacGuffie Davenport of Wysox, along with many nieces, nephews and close friends. James was predeceased by his son, John E. Davenport, and great-granddaughter Jennifer Noyes.
He retired after 39 years of loyal service from Moore Business Forms Inc. in Elmira. He was a 50-year life member of the United States Power and Sail Squadron and the last surviving charter member of the Seneca Power Squadron, serving two terms as commander achieving the rank of JN. James was also the last surviving charter member of the Southern Tier Yacht Club in Watkins Glen. He enjoyed as many as 50 or more years with his wife and children on the family cruiser on Seneca Lake and the Finger Lakes, traveling the canals and waterways into the Great Lakes and Canada. He taught the family to respect the water, powerboats, sailboats and the rules of navigation. He also taught numerous boaters’ safety courses in the community for the Power Squadron. After he and Lucille retired they also retired their boat and began their new journey with their motor home, traveling south during the winter and on a carefully planned excursion with their cat, Kiki, to the west coast. Together they visited 46 of the 50 states. He was an avid photographer and prided himself with taking photos wherever they went. James was a member of the FMCA, PenNY Mixers, and the Raccoon Cruisers Motor Coach Clubs. James enlisted in the US Army and served in the Panama Canal Zone prior to WWII and was later drafted back into the Army, serving in the European Theater in Germany. He was honored to have been chosen to serve as pallbearer in the funeral of General George W. Patton.
Family will be receiving visitors at Olthof Funeral Home Inc., 1050 Pennsylvania Ave., Elmira, Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2008 from 6-8 p.m. Funeral services honoring his life will follow the visitation at 8 p.m. The Rev. Ross Raymond will celebrate James’s service. Interment will take place Wednesday at 1 p.m. in Tioga Point Cemetery, Athens, where Tioga VFW will accord their fallen brother military honors following the committal prayers. A “Candle of Remembrance” may be left for his family in “obituaries” at www.olthof.com.