My Dad!

James Harvey Davenport, b. September 5, 1914, d. June 23, 1989.

My dad was a humble man! He was generous to a fault and the only negative thing he ever said about anybody was when he observed laziness! He was a hard worker and never could figure out why everyone couldn't see what needed to be done and do it! I learned my work ethic from my dad. I was trained at his side in the Restaurant business to be honest, courteous and above all, "the customer is always right!"

My dad had a deep and abiding love for his Savior and the power of the Atonement in his life. He was committed to his Testimony and never faltered -- not a day in his life! Even in my early growing up years, when mom and dad were not active Church goers, and they had a Word of Wisdom problem, still he taught us right from wrong and a love for our Savior. He taught me to read from the scriptures and study what I read. He always encouraged my activity in Church activities -- first before any thing else.

My dad loved my mom and never hesitated to show it. He respected her as a woman and as the mother of his children. He would not tolerate disrespect of his wife! He always bought mom beautiful gifts, even though he waited until the very last moment to shop. He had an amazing knack for picking out just the right gift for his sweetheart and she loved each and every one of them.

My dad was an outdoors man. He loved to hunt and fish and just be outdoors. Sometimes he would take one or another of us fishing and hunting (I never went hunting) and taught us to love the outdoors, too. He always had a tanned face and farmer's tanned arms. He also had skin cancer because of so much sun exposure, but I suppose that is just one of the side effects of loving to be outdoors. Every chance he got, he would head down to the Colorado River with his boat and fish until he caught his limit. In the fall, we could always count on venison to stock mom's freezer.

I love my dad with all of my heart and treasure his memory. I miss that he is not with us anymore and I miss him every day. If he were here, I would tell him just how much I love him and "Happy Father's Day, Dad!" But, he has "gone fishing" in that great, abundantly stocked fishing hole in the sky, and I am assured that one day we will all be together again as a family. "I love you, Dad!"