Kim Davenport of Nashville, TN, passed away peacefully on Monday, June 29, 2026, several years after being diagnosed with cancer. Kim is survived by her sister, Glenda Davenport (Ron Powers) of Tarpon Springs, FL; her brother, Allen Davenport of Tarpon Springs, FL; her nephew, Ryan Floyd of Palm Harbor, FL; her great nephew Logan Floyd of Palm Harbor, FL; her aunt Linda Lou Davenport Simpson of Franklin, TN; and a wide circle of friends, colleagues, and former students who will miss her deeply. Her parents, Murrel & LaVerne Davenport, passed away in 2017.
Kim lived a life defined by care for others. This was especially evident in the care she provided to her parents during the final years of their lives. Kim and her nephew, Ryan Floyd, then assumed caregiving responsibilities for her brother, Allen, who was born with a developmental disability. When Ryan and his family later returned to Palm Harbor, FL, Kim became Allen’s guardian and moved him to Nashville, where she was responsible for his care.
Kim was a lifelong learner. In Kentucky, she graduated from Middleburg Grade School, Casey County High School, and the University of Kentucky. She earned a master’s degree from American University in Washington, D.C., and a doctorate from the Fielding Institute in Santa Barbara, California. After a 30-year corporate career in sales, marketing, and human resources, Kim spent the final four years of her professional life as a lecturer and program director for Vanderbilt University’s master’s degree program in Leadership and Organizational Performance.
Her sense of adventure flourished throughout her life. Work took her to cities large and small. In her early 20’s she took Amtrak and a Greyhound bus from Cincinnati to Washington, D.C., to accept a job with AT&T. Other corporate moves included Atlanta, Denver, Omaha, Bentonville, AR and Nashville where she lived for 20+ years. Her work also often included international travel. Among her favorite destinations were Paris, Tokyo, and Dubai.
An avid cyclist, she was a member of the Harpeth Bike Club (HBC), a Nashville-based cycling group. She and fellow HBC riders made numerous bike trips to Lexington for the Horsey Hundred and Bourbon Burn. Kim also completed several statewide rides-typically averaging about 450 miles over 5-6 days in Colorado, Michigan, and Wisconsin. She found international cycling trips especially adventurous, navigating language barriers and unfamiliar maps. One trip she said she wouldn’t need to repeat was crossing a fast-moving river gorge in the Japanese ‘Alps’ in a three-foot basket, using ropes and pulleys.
There will be two services to honor Kim’s passing, and you are invited to attend one or both. The first will be a graveside burial at Larkspur Conservation, 155 Bear Carr Road, Westmoreland, TN. Larkspur is a 50-minute drive north of downtown Nashville. This service is scheduled for Saturday, July 11, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. As a nature conservancy, Larkspur does not conduct burials if inclement weather occurs. If thunderstorms are in the forecast, please check the Phillips-Robinson Funeral Home website to confirm if an alternate date and time will be necessary.
A celebration of life service will be held at Ruby, 2411 Blakemore Avenue, Nashville, TN on Sunday, July 12, 2026, at 4:30 p.m. This venue is in the Hillsboro Village neighborhood adjacent to Vanderbilt University. Parking is available next door at Harris-Hillman School, 1706 26th Ave, Nashville, TN.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Kim’s honor would be welcomed at any of the following organizations.
– Friends Life Community: 4414 Granny White Pike, Nashville, TN 37204
– The Galilean Home Ministries: 712 S Fork Church Rd, Liberty, KY 42539
– The Disabled American Veterans (DAV), PO Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301.
For more obituaries visit our obituaries page.
This obituary was published by Phillips-Robinson Funeral Home – Nashville Chapel.
Subscribe to our Newsletter!
