Laura Jean Davenport

Laura Jean Davenport passed away on Thursday, August 4, 2022 at the age of 84. She was affectionately known by her family and friends as “Jean.” She was born in the small town of Natchitoches, in the parish of Natchitoches, La. On June 22, 1938, to Sidney and Virginia Davenport. She was the youngest of their five children. After graduating high school and spending a year in college, she left Natchitoches and moved to Los Angeles, Calif. Seeking greater opportunities.

Little did she know that she would meet Orelious Walker when making that move. They married in 1958 and raised five children. Initially, she was a homemaker, focused on raising her children. She enjoyed cooking, baking, and sewing. A few of her special dishes included the most delicious seafood gumbo, fried chicken, and smothered steak in gravy you have ever tasted. As for her baking, one could never get enough of her sweet potato pie or coconut cake.

In 1968 a knock on the door took her life in another direction. She started studying the Bible with Jehovah’s Witnesses and symbolized her dedication two years later, in 1970. She enjoyed attending all the meetings, assemblies, and conventions with her five children in tow, thus giving each of them a solid spiritual foundation. She especially enjoyed serving as an auxiliary pioneer during the summer months, ensuring each of her children had a share working with her in early morning witnessing.

Eventually, Jean started working secularly. She took a job in the banking field, serving as a teller for many years and finally working as a loan officer. She thrived in the industry because of her beautiful smile, warm personality, and outstanding customer service.

Those who knew Jean well knew she had a passion for landscaping and gardening. She loved arranging plants and shrubs into stunning designs that appealed to the eye. Every home she lived in from Compton, Calif., Los Angeles, Calif., Inglewood, Calif., Redlands, Calif., Rockwall, Tex., and lastly Lynchburg, Va., was marked by a beautiful landscape with picturesquely placed plants and shrubs. She most definitely had a “green thumb.”

Jean was pre-deceased by her parents, Sidney and Virginia Davenport; her sisters Classie Calhoun and Willie Mae Walker; and her brother Wilbert Davenport. She is survived by her five children Angela, Sandra, Sharon, Orelious, Jr., and Karen; her grandsons Joseph, Nemiah, and Julian; her great-granddaughters Kira and Lucy; her daughter-in-law Valisha Beasley-Walker; her sister and childhood playmate Margie Sowell; and a host of cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

A graveside service will be held on Friday, August 12, 2022, at 11 a.m. at Fort Hill Memorial Park in Lynchburg, Va.

Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Lynchburg, is assisting the family.