Life Story: Thomas Ralph Davenport, 95; U.S. Marine Veteran

Thomas Ralph Davenport, 95, of Franklin Township, died March 12 at The Elms of Cranbury.

Known as Ralph, he was born on March 1, 1929, in Guilford County, North Carolina, the sixth of 13 children born to the late Thomas Lon and Ethel Poteete Davenport.

His early years were spent tending to the family farm with his parents, brothers, and sisters. While he did not finish high school (“how can learning about Shakespeare help anyone get a job?”), he was one of the smartest people you’d meet, with an infinite amount of knowledge on everything and anything, especially related to the home, farm, and vehicles.

He was the only one of his immediate family to venture North, answering an advertisement in a farming journal for herdsmen at the Walker-Gordon Laboratories Dairy Farm (first users of the rotary centralized milking platform for 50 cows at a time, the Rotolactor) in Plainsboro. Through his time at Walker-Gordon, he developed lifelong friendships with what came to be known as “our Plainsboro family” – the Butler, Dayton, Hay, Stitt, Wellnitz, and Wills families.

Besides a job and friends, another good thing that came out of venturing north is that is where he met his future wife, Mabel Boyden. She was out enjoying a hayride for a friend’s birthday on the rural roads of Franklin Township, while he and a friend were out riding on a motorcycle. He saw the group and asked to jump in, and the rest is history!

They were married on June 17, 1950, before he joined the Marines and was sent for training at the Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point, NC. He was an airplane mechanic, primarily working on the F4U Corsair, and was in high demand as he was one of the most able to fit into the tight engine compartment due to his shorter stature. He was a lifelong proud Marine serving stateside during the Korean War, and after he was honorably discharged, he and Mabel settled in Hightstown. They raised five children, and he started his dairy farming business on Decker’s Dairy Farm in 1958.

Many years later he built the family home (with lots of family help) in Franklin Township on land next door to where Mabel grew up. In 1977, the home was complete, and the family moved in and named it Little (Lil’) Redwood, in honor of Mabel’s family farm, Redwood. While maintaining a herd of beef cattle and growing crops in farmland nearby, he also started his full-time job in facilities at the Institute for Advanced Study, finally retiring in 2008 at the age of 78.

He was well known for his delicious tomatoes, showcased at the end of his driveway on his antique tractor (enjoyed for donations only), and his handcrafted crooked walking sticks from branches he gathered in the woods.

He continued as an active member of the New Jersey Farm Bureau, American Legion Post 401, Marine Corps League Corporal Philip A. Reynolds Detachment NE (where he especially enjoyed helping, eventually serving as co-chair for, the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots), and the Ten Mile Run Cemetery Association. He was always willing to lend a hand to help anyone who needed it.

He is predeceased by his parents, Thomas Lon and Ethel Poteete Davenport; brothers JV, Guy, Glenn, and Lewis; sisters Arlena, Pauline, Ruth (his twin), and his beloved wife of 65 years Mabel Boyden Davenport.

He is survived by his children Barbara and Brother Gaskill, Jennie and Mark Lindbloom, Thomas Alan and Diane Davenport, James Lon Davenport, Pam and Rich Attanasio; cherished sisters Vera Mae Jackson, Mildred Jackson, Lois Parnell; cherished brothers Richard and Johnny Davenport; cherished cousins, nieces, nephews and friends; and his beloved grandchildren, Joseph and Beth Peacos III; Matthew and Amnah Lindbloom; Sarah and John Marion; Heather, Holly, and Timothy Attanasio; and great-grandchildren, Joseph Peacos IV, Carter Rose and Kaia Lindbloom, and Wyatt and Sylvia Marion.

The family would like to thank his at-home caregivers Nancy and Serena from The Key, and all the nurses, caregivers, and staff at The Elms, for the wonderful care he received in his last months.

Family and friends may call from 5-8 p.m. March 29 at the M J Murphy Funeral Home, 616 Ridge Road at New Road in Monmouth Junction.

The funeral service and burial will be held at 11 a.m. March 30 at the Ten Mile Run Cemetery, 40 Old Georgetown Road, Princeton.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Marine Corps League Detachment NE 203, 50 Waterworks Road, Freehold, NJ 07728; the American Legion Post 401, 148 Major Road, Monmouth Junction, NJ 08852; The Ten Mile Run Cemetery Association, 40 Old Georgetown Road, Princeton, NJ 08540; or St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

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