Elvin "Al" Earl Davenport

Elvin "Al" Davenport

Elvin "Al" Davenport, 78, died Monday, Apr. 7 at the VA Hospital in Hot Springs, SD. Funeral services will be Thursday, Apr. 10 at 2 p.m. at Peet Mortuary Chapel in Lusk.

The Lusk Herald
April 16, 1986
Elvin E. "Al" Davenport

Memorial services were held Thursday Apr. 10 for Elvin E. "Al" Davenport, 78, of Lusk. Rev. Mark Lohr officiated at the services held at Peet Mortuary Chapel with burial following in the Lusk Cemetery.

Davenport died Monday, Apr. 7. He was born Nov. 16, 1907 near Chester, NE, the son of Alfred and Eluara Davenport. He graduated from Chester High School in 1925 and attended Peru (NE) Normal College for one year.

He then moved to Lincoln, NE where he worked at several jobs before he began working for the Wilson Packing Company. He was transferred to Grand Island, where he met and married Frances Burdick on Oct. 28, 1938.

Davenport enlisted in the Army in the fall of 1942. His unit was sent to Canada and then to Europe in the spring of 1943. While in Europe, he served in Normandy, France, the Rhineland, Ardennes and Central Europe.

He received many campaign ribbons and service medals, including the Purple Heart. One of his officers in Europe was the father of Tom Osborne, football coach at the University of Nebraska. He received his discharge in October 1945.

Davenport resumed working for Wilson Packing Company until November 1947 when he and Frances moved to Lusk and purchased the Budget Food Mart in partnership with Frances's sister and her husband, Georgia and Dave Wood. The Davenports later took over full ownership of the store and operated it until their retirement in 1970.

Community and civic-minded, Al served on the Lusk Town Council, was a past president of the Lusk Lions Club and a past president of the Lusk chapter of the A. A. R. P. He was a charter member of and served as treasurer of the Lusk Church of Christ, and at the time of his death was serving as president of the advisory board for the Lusk Senior Citizens Center.

Davenport was preceded in death by his parents, one step-sister, one step-brother, one sister-in-law, and three brothers-in-law. Survivors include his wife, Frances Davenport of Lusk; one son Richard F. Davenport, his wife Shaunna and their son Aaron of Bennett, CO, two sisters, Mrs. Gerald Myers of Bend, OR and Mrs. Harold Crouse of Chester, NE and numerous other relatives and friends.

For those who wish memorials to the Lusk Church of Christ will be appreciated by the family.

Images & Attachments

Related/Linked Records