Richard L. Davenport, 76
Dateline: Mansfield, MA
Our dad, Richard L. Davenport passed away on Saturday May 26th two weeks after his 76th birthday. His wife/our Mom Barbara passed away last Dec 9th and since that time our Dad had only been out of a hospital setting for less than three weeks.
Kidney failure is a horrible thing. We would like to tell you he died easily, but he did not. It was torture in a sense.
He lived better.
Our Dad was a War Baby born on May 14, 1942 to Howard Davenport and Helen McCarthy. He grew up in Dorchester dirt poor raised by a single mom who worked long hours to provide for her children. He was the youngest of three. His older sister Gloria was like a second mom. Richard at times was a kid brother pain in the neck to his older brother Robert. And they all cared for their frail grandmother who lived with them. They all loved each other which was about all they had. We don’t think my dad ever once spoke negatively of growing up in poverty. He never complained.
Our Dad married, joined the carpenter’s union, and when he and Mom realized they could never have children of their own they adopted David at 6 months old and about a year later adopted Kelli. Just a month or so before Kelli arrived they moved out of a duplex in the city into their own small Cape style home in the suburbs. By about age 25 Dad and Mom achieved everything they had ever dreamed of and desired little more than to raise their children and live in their home...which they did.
Our Dad was a master carpenter. A lot of carpenters nowadays think they are master carpenters but they are not. He never graduated high school, but he could calculate and make things happen in wood that a bunch of MIT mathematicians would never figure out with a super computer and no time limit.
Richard was an avid collector of just about anything. He loved the history associated with antiques and memorabilia and spent as much if not more time researching and reading about his various collecting interests as he did actually collecting things at flea markets and yard sales.
It is hard to say goodbye even though we had time to know this was coming. Two days before he passed David spent time together with Dad—it turned out to be their last talk. At one point Dad said he was ok with letting go of the house and his things and that he knew he would always need nursing care. A little later he said he wanted to try to get better and go home. He asked me if I thought he might get home again if he really worked at it. That was the hardest question David had ever been asked in my life.
Kelli was blessed to talk with him Saturday morning. He was in good spirits despite being transported to a hospital again.
Richard is survived by his children Kelli, and David, as well as his brother Robert
Goodbye Dad.
A memorial service will be held at a future date
To send his family a message of condolence, please visit www.shermanjackson.com