Gary Eugene Davenport

Gary Eugene Davenport, age 74, passed away peacefully on Monday, May 13, 2024, at Grant Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio. He was born on March 3, 1950, in Wheeling, West Virginia to Eugene Davenport and Gloria (Swelbar) Davenport. Gary was the oldest of five children, including three boys and two girls.
Gary grew up in Bloomingdale, Ohio with his parents and four siblings on a small farm. Gary's mother tended to the children while his father worked in the steel mill and though money was not in abundance, love was. Gary grew to love the game of basketball. It was his excellence in basketball that carried him through as a star on the Wayne High School varsity team. Gary's success on the court took him on a path to higher education; first at North Carolina State University and later at Kent State University where he would be a member of each school's basketball teams.
Gary would go on to study at and graduate from Kent State University where he would also meet the love of his life, Linda (Lynn) Yuska. After graduation, Gary and Linda would marry and relocate to Cambridge, Ohio, where he would build a lifelong career in manufacturing. In Cambridge, he would climb the ranks of Ametek/March Electric holding several positions in management. His career would see him promoted within the company and relocated to help run the Ametek Racine, Wisconsin plant. Additional promotions followed, which would bring Gary and his family back to Cambridge, Ohio. Gary then transitioned to Seminole Tubular Products in Cambridge where he would serve as the Seminole Cambridge Plant Manager until his retirement in 2009.
Gary and Linda began dating at Kent State University where he was an athlete and she worked as a secretary in the Athletic Department. He was romantic at his core. When they were young and money was tight, Gary would bring Lynn big lollipops from the airport to show her how much he had missed her. The two spent 49 years bonded in matrimony. Gary was a loving husband who worked tirelessly to build a good life for them. They were blessed with two sons, Aaron and Adam. Gary was a resolute father who endeavored to instill in his boys the work ethic, curiosity, ingenuity, determination, compassion, and love that made him the man that he was.
Gary's boys gave him three beautiful granddaughters and two handsome grandsons. He was a doting grandfather who loved running across east central Ohio to be at every softball, soccer, and basketball game for his girls. He was the purveyor of the world's best tickle hugs for his oldest grandson, and though he had only a brief time with his youngest grandson, he cuddled him furiously every chance he got.
Gary was committed to his faith. Early in his life he explored the idea of becoming a minister. During his first two years of college, he travelled with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes spreading Christ's word. He was incredibly supportive of Lynn's Catholic faith and could regularly be found in the back pew at St. Benedict's Church in support of his wife and in celebration of God's gifts.
Gary was an avid golfer who led an annual pilgrimage of men to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, which has spanned five decades. He loved being on the course with his friends, or wife, or sons. Golf was a welcomed respite from the daily grind, and he looked forward to the opportunity to disconnect and be out on the course. In his later years, Gary's boys would look for any opportunity to join Dad for eighteen holes where they'd bend his ear for advice on career, relationships, and later, their own children.
At his very core, Gary was a cultivator of relationships. He was an incredible storyteller. He had a keen understanding that he could do a great many things but not everything. He would grind and grind to come up with the perfect solution to the challenge of the day, but he understood when it was time to raise a hand and ask for help. He relied heavily on his friends and colleagues to help him lift everyone around him to a higher level. Gary always "had a guy" he could call to help you out with whatever you needed. It gave him immense pride to be able to do things for others, either directly or by arranging another path forward.
Gary was preceded in death by his father Eugene, mother Gloria, and brother Mark. He is survived by his wife Linda (Lynn), sons Aaron and Adam, daughters-in-law Abby and Marguerite, granddaughters Evyn, Elliot, and Drew, grandsons Duke and Hank, his brother Roger, and sisters Victoria (Tom) Fenton, and Darlene.
He was a mountain of a man in every conceivable way and will be missed by all.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or
Donate Life Ohio. Friends may call at the Bundy-Law Funeral Home, 120 North 11th Street, Cambridge, Ohio 43725 on Monday, May 20th between 4:00pm and 7:00pm. Funeral services will be held at Bundy-Law Funeral Home on Tuesday, May 21st, at 11:00am with Pastor Scott Swelbar officiating. Burial will follow in Northwood Cemetery.