Obit – Mr. Harold Davenport
Mr. Harold Davenport age 68 of the Tanglewood Community of Smith County died peacefully Wednesday afternoon October 15, 2025 at 1:52 p.m.at Highpoint Health- Riverview in Carthage where he was admitted October 13th after a valiant nine-month battle with cancer.
Matt Oxley, minister of the Rome Church of Christ where Mr. Davenport was a member, officiated at the 1 p.m. Sunday afternoon October 19th funeral services from the Carthage Chapel of Sanderson Funeral Home. Harold’s close friend and cousin, Jimmy Carter delivered the eulogy and burial followed in the Gazebo Garden at the Dixon Springs Cemetery.
Born Harold Davenport on September 28, 1957, he was one of two children, a son and a daughter of the late U. S. Army Korean War Veteran, George J. Davenport who died at the age of 82 on November 1, 2008 and Wilma Eugene Willis Davenport who died at the age of 80 on March 22, 2020.
Harold was born and raised in the Castalian Springs community of Trousdale County to sharecropper parents where he worked hard raising tobacco and beef cattle alongside his family and inherited a work ethic that he carried throughout his life.
Harold was part of the 1974 Trousdale County Yellow Jackets basketball team that traveled to play in the state tournament in Memphis and ultimately got defeated by Battleground Academy 64 to 54. Harold was a 1975 graduate of Trousdale County High School.
After graduating high school, he worked as a skilled carpenter and continued in the family farming operation.
As a young man Harold attended and was baptized at Antioch Church of Christ in Castalian Spring’s where his father served as a deacon.
At his time of death, he had made his church home with the Rome Church of Christ, in which he greatly enjoyed.
On September 20th 1986 he was united in marriage to South Carthage native Melina Harper at First Baptist Church Carthage by Bro. Floyd Jackson. Their marriage of 39 years was filled with love and adventure. Harold always made sure Melina was his first priority and showed his affection for her by doing home projects, going on trips and spending every free minute together.
Melina’s Father helped get Harold a job at American Feed and Farm Supply in Nashville.
After leaving the farm full time and joining the public work force, he ultimately found his career, which spanned just shy of 33 years, with the Coca Cola company in which he began as a truck driver and retired as a Sales Account Manager for grocery stores and convenience markets throughout northern Middle Tennessee.
After retirement Harold spent much of his time on the farm, gardening, canning, and constantly working to make sure the family home, and his children’s homes stayed in pristine condition. If he was not at the farm on the day a calf was born, he immediately wanted a picture of it and would immediately ask if it was a heifer. No home or farm project were completed without his labor, and stamp of approval.
Harold worked tirelessly to assist his family in every way and was fully invested in every activity. He spent countless hours in gyms, and at ball fields. He never missed one of his children’s games and often times even had to go back and forth from fields as he coached both Drew and Evans baseball teams and games would fall at the same time but on different fields.
He enjoyed taking his children to Knoxville to attend University of Tennessee basketball and football games and to Nashville to cheer on the Titans. If he thought there was something his family would enjoy, he made sure they were able to do it.
The family took many vacations together and took them often. His children, nieces, and sister didn’t have to wait for him to jump in and help do work improve their homes and took great pride in being able to assist them all in making improvements and most importantly he was glad to save them money! One thing Harold struggled the most with during his sickness was the thought of having to pay someone to do something that he should be able to do!
Among Harold’s most cherished times though were Sunday lunches, trips to the beach and days at home by the pool with family and friends. Harold delighted in becoming a grandfather and loved his two granddaughters fiercely. He always wanted to know what “his girls” were doing. Although Evan and Kelly have no children, he loved his “grand dog” Clancy and loved spending time with him and feeding him from the table.
Harold found a positive note in everything and could defuse any situation with a calm but stern demeanor. He was a perfect example of what a husband and a father should be.
In addition to his parents, Harold was preceded in death by his, father-in-law and mother-in-law, Ray and Mildred Angel Harper.
Surviving in addition to his wife Melina of just over thirty-nine years are their two sons, Drew Davenport and wife Mckenzie and their two daughters Miller and Lennon of Nashville and Evan Davenport and wife Kelly of Castalian Springs. Sister Kathy Denson and husband Howard of Castalian Springs; brother and sister-in-law Steve Harper and wife Tammy Piper Harper of the Riddleton Community. Nieces Mia Whitaker and husband Dusty and their children Mallie and Harper, Candice Harper. Two nephews Blake Davenport and wife Brittany and their children Logan, Mason, Emma, Annie, and Austin Denson and wife Tori.
The Davenport family requests memorials to either the Riddleton-Dixon Springs Fire Department or the Jordan Hackett Foundation.
SANDERSON of CARTHAGE
