July 17, 1935-November 20, 2016
Walter Russell Davenport, age 81, of Roswell passed away Sunday November 20, 2016.A memorial service will be held 2:00 P.M., Friday, November 25, 2016 at LaGrone Funeral Chapel. Doug Austin and Josh Watkins of Country Club Road Church of Christ will be officiating.
Walter Russell Davenport went to be with our Lord on November 20* 2016 after a tough fought battle with cancer. He was home with his loving wife, Pat, by his side.
Services will be held at LaGrone Funeral Chapel on Friday November 25th at 2:00 pm. He was a member of the West Country Club Church of Christ. Pastors Doug Austin and Joshua Watkins will be officiating.
Walt was born July 17, 1935 in Del Rio, Texas to Earl & Flossie Davenport. His parents, as well as his brothers, Joe & Bob Davenport preceded him in death. Walter leaves behind his loving wife Patricia Davenport. They have been married for 36 years. Walt also leaves behind a son, Clay & wife Rendi, of Taft, Texas. His daughters Nancy Birkhimer her husband John, of New Brunfels, Texas, and Deborah Jane Davenport of Austin Texas, step children that he loved as his own, Dianna Novak and Terresa Hale and her husband Tim of Roswell. Grand children Matthew Birkhimer, Christopher Birkhimer and his wife Bethany. Tyler Davenport, Jake Davenport, Rustin Smith his wife Kobi, Reagan Smith and Ceniza Wier all of Texas. Cody McCrary, Heather McCrary and Kambrea Thomas and her husband Jerad. Great grandchildren, Abbigaylle McCrary, Isabelle McCrary, Brianna Barbour and Damien Barbour.
Walt attended Abilene Christian College in 1953.
He ran his family retail hardware business, Russell Hardware, in Del Rio Tx from 1953 to 1980. During this time he also ranched in Val Verde County, Texas producing beef cattle, fine-wool sheep, angora goats and meat goats in Texas and later in New Mexico, from 1957 to 1999. He was a commission agent for Exxon Corporation in Del Rio, Texas from 1971 to 1980. Walt moved from his ranch in Picahco, NM to Crockett, Texas in 1992 where he was an active real estate broker. He and Pat moved back to Roswell to be a real estate broker and co-owner with Mr. Steve Smith in Century 21 Home Planning in 1999. His career in Roswell real estate lasted until 2007. He was a Relief pumper for McKay Oil and Gas from July 2008 to February 2009. His last position before retiring he was a coordinator for the ENMU-Roswell University Energy Efficiency Program.
Walt was an active member of The Del Rio Chamber of Commerce, member and officer of the Del Rio school board for 11 years, member of The Rotary Club and other local community support organizations. He was a past member of numerous livestock producer organizations, i.e. Texas Sheep & Goat Raisers Assn., Mohair Council of American, Texas & Southwestern Cattle Growers Assn., New Mexico Cattle Growers & past President of the New Mexico Chapter of Holistic Resource Management. Walt was a great student and teacher of proper range management, with a vast knowledge of grasses and other plants on the prairie. With this knowledge he was able to keep his ranch productive and healthy by rotating the number and species of his livestock even during the most difficult of times.