Ira Lee Davenport , age 86 passed away on Friday, April 1, 2022 at his home on Jacks River. His father and mother were Floyd T. Davenport and Stella Jones Davenport. Brother Arvil & Wife Joanne. Sisters Maybelle & Husband Bill Harris, Pauline & Husband Roy Ausburn and Patsy & Husband Aubry Thomas. His wife of 64 years, Barbara Davenport, Daughter (Dee Dee) Denise and Son, (Butch) Malcolm and his Wife Tammy and his Grandson, Nathan. A celebration of life will be held at Hipps Chapel Church on Sunday, April 24, 2022 at 2:00 pm. Pastor Delmar Davenport presiding. Everyone is welcomed to attend. In lieu of flowers donations for the cemetery are being accepted in his memory. Ira was born on November 4th, 1935 in Higdon Georgia in the small settlement known as The Jacks River Community. Ira lived there as a young boy fishing ,hunting and running through the mountains enjoying the Appalachian Mountain life. Times were hard and his family later moved to Epworth Georgia. As a young boy , barely able to reach a set of plow handles Lra started his life of hard work. Ira would plow fields and chop firewood and log timber out of the mountains to earn extra money to buy clothes and other things to help his family. As a young man Ira and his best friend { Tommy Grindstaff } delivered chickens all over the county for Brownie Crawford { Father of Gene Crawford }. Later Ira and Tommy decided to set out on an adventure and head to Alaska to homestead. Along the way they stopped in Whiting Indiana where he and Tommy decided to seek employment at Youngstown Sheet & Tube. They worked operating overhead cranes moving ore to the furnaces. He later returned to Epworth to date and marry his lifelong girlfriend {Barbara Patterson} who always spent the summers in the mountains with her family. Ira and Barbara had known each other from their early childhood and became sweethearts at the age of sixteen and thirteen. They started dating when she was allowed to date at the age of sixteen. After dating and falling in love they became husband and wife and where married at First Baptist Church of Epworth at the ages of twenty one and eighteen. They moved back to Whiting Indiana where he continued to work in the steel mills. After two years they gave birth to a beautiful young daughter (Dee Dee) Denise Davenport. When Denise was two years old Ira and Barbara decided to move the Barbara's hometown of, Miami Fla. With his skill set of operating crane he worked for a large construction company. Later Ira was offered an opportunity from a large chain of grocery stores (Winn Dixie) to work in warehouse cutting meat. Ira excelled in this and found a hidden talent. Seeing this upper management offered Ira the opportunity to attend their training facility and become a Department Meat Manager. Ira finished in the top of his class and graduated with top honors and was offered their largest store in Miami. Three years later Ira and Barbara gave birth to a son (Butch) Malcolm Davenport. Five years later the life in the city became to much to bare and they decided to pull up stakes and move back to Ira's hometown of Epworth, Ga. Ira accepted a transfer to another Winn Dixie store in Dalton, Ga and commuted everyday for a year but the long drive everyday became to much. Ira was offered a position as meat manager at a local Piggy Wiggly and then later took a managers position at our local A&P in McCaysville, Ga where he worked for many years until he took a position at our local Ingles supermarket until he was forced to retire due to his C.O.P.D. condition. While working for Ingles Ira and Barbara opened up a small private meat processing business which the whole family participated in running. Ira and Barbara loved being part of the community helping local farmers by processing the livestock. During this time Butch and Tammy gave birth to a red headed baby boy { Nathan} to which Ira gave his loving heart. Much of his time was spent with Nathan in his lap reading story after story creating wonderful lasting memories for Nathan of his Grandfather to which he will never forget. Ira taught Butch to cut meat at a early age and was very proud to pass along his trade to his son. Ira and Barbara loved horses very much. Ira had always owned or trained horses from a early age until his health no longer allowed him to due so and Barbara's time was given to the man she loved. After retiring Ira and Barbara decided to purchase some family property on Jacks River and return to his birth place which he loved so dearly. Ira spent his final years hiking the mountains with his beloved canine companion{ BIG DOG } reminiscing about his childhood. Ira was a wonderful son that his parents were surely proud of, a wonderful brother, a wonderful father spending time with children, a caring and wonderful grandfather to Nathan, a wonderful friend always there in times of need, a wonderful husband and provider to Barbara for sixty four years but most of all Ira was a true Christian man that lived a life that Jesus I'm sure was smiling upon as he watched his journey unfold. Ira will truly be forever missed by everyone. There are no gallery images. Memorial Service Sunday, April 24, 2022 2:00 PM Hipps Chapel Church 7212 Hwy 2Blue Ridge, Georgia 30513 Directions