Ruth Marie Davenport

Ruth Marie Davenport, a spirited soul who was cherished by those who knew her, passed away peacefully on August 27, 2025, at St. Andrew's Village in Boothbay Harbor, Maine. Born on April 20, 1929, in Yonkers, New York, to George Madison Hallenbeck and Helen Kimbal Hallenbeck, Ruth's journey through life was marked by determination, resilience and love of family and friends.
Growing up in Rockaway, New Jersey, during a time of war, Ruth developed a deep appreciation for her parents, friends, and later for her own family, which would continue throughout her life. She graduated with honors from Rockaway High School in 1947 and married Vern Davenport in 1949. Her son, Jerry, was born one year later.
During the early years of her marriage, as was typical of that era, Ruth worked part time from home hosting Copperware and Avon parties. She later managed the perfume, cosmetics and jewelry counter in a local pharmacy. It was at this time, perhaps, that she developed an interest in the cleaning and repair of fine jewelry which was to become an avocation for her later in life. When she and Vern moved to Dover, Ruth found another calling and dedicated herself to ensuring breast cancer survivors felt empowered and supported through her work to fit them with proper prosthetics.
Ruth and Vern were congregants of the Parsippany Methodist Church and it was here that Ruth honed her skills as a jewelry repair and cleaning specialist, returning donated pieces to their original condition to be displayed for sale at church fairs. Ruth was later to receive recognition from the Parsippany United Methodist Church for her almost 40-year contribution of dedicated work on behalf of the church community.
During her early adulthood Ruth became friends with Lois Seaman and her husband Bob. Over the years Ruth and Vern and Lois and Bob, with three children between them, developed a close bond and the two families would spend summers together in Boothbay Harbor where Bob owned a cottage. The two couples co-owned a beautiful old mahogany sailboat named Fantasy and when they weren't sailing, they were working on the boat. Their lives continued to intersect as the children grew with Bob and Lois even hosting a wedding reception for Jerry Davenport and his wife, Sue, in their backyard. Bob and Lois eventually bought a house on Southport where they continued to host Ruth even after Vern's death in 1991.
Ruth remarried in 1996 but was again widowed when her second husband, Joseph Levinson, suffered a fatal heart attack in 2001. Four years later, in 2005, Bob lost Lois to leukemia. As a natural outgrowth of the great affection that had grown between the families and the two couples over decades of sharing their lives together, Bob and Ruth married each other in December, 2006. In May, 2007, the couple relocated permanently to the summer home on Southport, where Ruth carried on the tradition she and Lois had established years before of working with the Methodist church fair, Lois donating crafted items and Ruth restoring donated jewelry. In 2013 Bob was diagnosed with Alzheimer's and Ruth took on the difficult task of caring for him until his eventual death in 2014.
Ruth moved back to New Jersey and ultimately to Florida with her son and daughter-in-law in 2014 but returned to Maine to live at St Andrews Village in 2017 where she picked up where she had left off, cleaning, repairing and selling jewelry for both the St Andrews Auxiliary and the Methodist church. At the July 2022 Auxiliary Volunteer Recognition luncheon Ruth was honored for her many years of service to the community through her work with jewelry.
Predeceased by three husbands, Ruth is survived by her son, Jerry Davenport and his wife, Susan, of Palm Beach, Florida; grandson Matthew Davenport and his wife Karen of Palm Beach, Florida; great grandson Thomas Davenport of Palm Beach, Florida; stepson Terry Seaman and his wife, Heidi; stepson Glen Seaman and his wife, Barbara, their children, Sally, Andrew and Daniel and grandchildren, Manny, Eli and Maya; and close friends, Carole and Paul Zalucky of Southport and Gloria and Ron Gounaud of Dover, New Jersey.
Ruth will always be remembered for her beautiful smile, her indomitable spirit and her zest for life.
A memorial service to celebrate Ruth's life will be held on Thursday, November 13, 2025 at 11:30 AM at the Southport United Methodist Church.
Arrangements are under the care and direction of Hall Funeral Home, Boothbay. To extend a condolence or share a story with the Davenport family, please visit Ruth's Book of Memories at www.hallfuneralhomes.com
Donations in Ruth's name can be directed to the Southport United Methodist Church, Southport, Maine 04576, the Parsippany United Methodist Church, 903 S. Beverwyck Rd, Parsippany, NJ. 07054 or The Salvation Army, 25 Congress Ave, Bath, ME. 04530, 1-800-SAL-ARMY (725-2769); or donate online at www.salvationarmyusa.org. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Ruth, please visit our floral store.