Jack E. Davenport

Jack Edwin Davenport, 67, expired in Baton Rouge on Saturday, Jan. 17, 2009. Born in Ranger, Texas, Jack chose to call Louisiana his home. Attending schools in Acadia Parish, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, attended hospital corpsman school and spent most of his enlistment stationed with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Division, of the U.S. Marine Corps in the Far East. Following his tour of duty, Jack began a career in newspaper publishing, where he started selling subscriptions door-to-door, eventually owning seven community weekly official journal newspapers, two shoppers guides and a radio station in Pointe Coupee Parish. Jack also was chairman of the state Parole Board during the Edwards administration in the 1980s. Beginning a new career in 1986, Jack trained as a substance-abuse counselor, working in jails and prisons in Arizona and Texas. "Working with chemically dependent men and women provided me with the most personal satisfaction of any work I've done." Jack is survived by two daughters, Grace Burcham, of Sacramento, Calif., and Katharine Patterson, of Dallas; along with many friends along the way. Memorial service at Rabenhorst Funeral Home, 825 Government St., on Wednesday, Jan. 21, at 2 p.m. Visitation begins at 1 p.m. Burial at Port Hudson National Cemetery, 20978 Port Hickey, Zachary, on Thursday, Jan. 22, at 9 a.m. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to bi-polar research at Baton Rouge Mental Health, 3455 Florida Blvd., Baton Rouge, LA 70806.