Helen Davenport

Helen Davenport

Helen Davenport, age 77, of Aurora, Neb., passed away Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2023, at CHI-St. Francis Medical Center in Grand Island, Neb., after a long battle with cancer.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Monday, Feb. 20 at the Aurora United Methodist Church, 1104 A St. Rev. Michelle Reed will officiate. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the church.

Services will also be held on Wednesday, Feb. 22 in Fort Scott, with visitation at 10 a.m. and funeral service at 11 a.m. at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Burial will follow at the Evergreen Cemetery.

Memorials may be made to the Methodist Church Building Fund or the Grace Cancer Foundation. Higby-McQuiston Mortuary is in charge of arrangements in Nebraska. Condolences may be e-mailed to the family through the mortuary website at www.higbymortuary.com.

Helen Lavon Davenport, the daughter of Harold I. and Audrey M. (Loudenback) Crays, was born in Fort Scott, Kan., on March 8, 1945 and passed away at Grand Island, Neb. on Feb. 14, 2023, at the age of 77.

She grew up in Hiattville, Kan., until she was 11 years old. The family moved to Fort Scott, Kan., where Helen graduated high school in 1963. 

Helen was united in marriage to Jim Davenport on Feb. 9, 1964, just recently celebrating 59 years of marriage. Throughout her life she worked in meat cutting, insurance, food industry. They moved to Iowa in 1983 and then moved to Nebraska in 1987.

Helen was an active member of the Methodist Church. She was an excellent cook, loved to entertain and work in her flower garden. Helen did lots of canning veggies, was an excellent homemaker. She could have been a floral designer as she was always coming up with something. She enjoyed sewing and most important to her were her two grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, sister, Bettie DuVall; brother and wife, Harold (Audrey) Crays, Jr. and her two loving sons, Jason and Justin.

Those left to cherish her memory are her husband, Jim of Aurora; granddaughter, Hailyn Rose Davenport; grandson, Jace Davenport; former daughter-in-law, Lyndi Rohr; half-sister, Tammy Crays and Dallas Hill; half-brother, Gary (Jessica) Crays; nieces, Tanya (David) Haubein and Carolyn (Chuck) VanSandt and Susie (Kevin) Gilstrap; Debbie Masur, Lori (Brian) Barrett. Other survivors include, brothers-in-law, Bill (Dorothy), Kenneth (Leah) and Gary (Carol); several cousins, Jerry and Teresa Davenport, Gerald and Iris Crays, Delbert and Darla Cray, Barbara Cotiziss and numerous friends.