Barbara Maurine Davenport

Early Sunday morning, January 23, 2022, Barbara Maurine Davenport passed away at age 83.
Barbara was born March 18, 1938 in Jefferson City, MO to Benjamin and Eloise Bagby. While living at home the family was moving up and down the central Midwest and South following her fathers rise up the corporate ladder working for Massey-Ferguson. Most of their time they resided in the suburbs Evanston and Winnetka north of Chicago. In 1959 at the University of Iowa in Iowa City she met Hallie Herbert Davenport through their sorority/fraternity parties. They snuck away with a group of friends for a road trip to the Rose Bowl in January 1959 and were married February 21, 1959. The math fits the birth of the first of three children Deborah in October, and then Diane and Steve. Herb was rising the corporate ladder with International Harvester so she and the kids continued to move throughout the Midwest. It all must have worked out okay as they were married for 63 years!
Barbara was an avid reader, a gift she imparted to her children and grandchildren. She volunteered at the Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture (American Indian Collection) while they lived in Spokane WA and the Washington Historical Museum in Tacoma during their first years in Gig Harbor in the 1980's. She was an amazing needlepoint and cross stitch creator. She loved NPR and Channel 9 British shows. She was as devoted to the many dogs the family had over the years, with her Cavalier King Charles Spaniels Jessica, Willie and Emmy holding a special place in her heart, as she was to her children and grandchildren (though she denied it). She and Herb did a lot of traveling both domestic and abroad, attended the theatre, movies and went out to all the great places in the area to eat and have fun with friends and family.
Her lasagna and chili are a family favorite. Her sense of fun and disarming humor surprised many a person (she was barely 5'1") so lots of laughs. She could talk forever if you needed her for advice or just to chat. She was always up for going to lunch or a coffee. She was a deacon, small group leader for Women's Bible Study Fellowship and enjoyed bringing meals to those who were in need for many years

at Chapel Hill PC.
Barbara was preceded in death by her father Ben, mother Eloise and brother Steve. She is survived by her husband Herb, her three children Debby, Diane and Steve, her brother Benjamin Rock Bagby and sister Emily, six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. She was dearly loved and will be profoundly missed. A memorial service will be held on Friday February 4, 2022 at the Haven of Rest Funeral Home, 8503 WA-16, Gig Harbor, WA, at 11 a.m. If you would like to donate in her name, the ASPCA or the Alzheimers Association would be a wonderful choice.