Willora Porter's Obituary
WILLORA PORTER was called to Heaven on Sunday, November 10, at Brook Manor in Brookhaven, Mississippi. She was 84 years old, and she had been in declining health for several years. Funeral services will be held Saturday, November 16 at 2:30 p.m. at Memorial Park Funeral Home, Poplar Ave with interment to follow in Memorial Park Cemetery. Visitation will be observed for two hours before the funeral. Mrs. Porter was preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, Mr. George Roy Porter who died in 2007, her parents Mr. James Cullen Nowell and Mrs. Wilma Jordan Nowell, and a brother, Dr. Willis Cullen Nowell. She is survived by her daughter and only child, Mrs. Pattie Porter Moak, and her husband, Dr. Edward Sidney Moak, of Brookhaven, and three grandchildren, Sydney Porter Moak, Edward Sidney Moak, Jr., and Whitney Bailey Moak, as well as a sister, Mrs. Henrietta Nowell (Paul) Brown, and a sister-in-law, Mrs. Marie (Willis) Nowell, and a host of nieces and nephews. Born on April 9, 1929, in Maury City, Tennessee, Mrs. Porter graduated from Crockett County High School as Valedictorian at age 16, and she was chosen during high school as Strawberry Festival Queen; she also achieved fame as a basketball standout, averaging 34 points per game as a senior. Mrs. Porter received an Associate Degree with Honors from the University of Tennessee, Martin, where she was a varsity cheerleader, a campus beauty, and editor of the yearbook. After her marriage to George Roy Porter in 1950, Mr. and Mrs. Porter moved to Memphis, and Mrs. Porter completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Accountancy, with Honors, from the University of Memphis. She became for more than twenty years a beloved kindergarten director and teacher, first at Lamar Heights Baptist Church, then at Colonial Baptist Church, both in Memphis. At Colonial Baptist, Mr. and Mrs. Porter, and their then-infant daughter, Patti, were among the charter members when the church was established in 1954. Mrs. Porter was for more than 55 years a faithful member of their Choir, and she taught Sunday school along with numerous committee assignments. The Porters were throughout their lifetimes extraordinarily visible and involved members of Colonial Baptist. After her daughter entered college, Mrs. Porter began work with the Internal Revenue Service, resulting in a highly decorated twenty-five year career as an auditor, with a number of regional and national awards from that agency. After her retirement from IRS in 1997, Mrs. Porter remained active in her church and community, until her long illness warranted her moving to Brookhaven. Mr. and Mrs. Porter enjoyed traveling, especially after retirement, and their journeys carried them both throughout the United States and internationally. Mrs. Porter was renowned among her friends, family, and church as a consummate hostess, and her legendary collection of recipes remains a legacy to her superlative culinary skill. She was universally regarded by all who knew her as the epitome of style and grace. Mrs. Porter’s family requests that, in lieu of flowers, memorial should be given to Colonial Baptist Church, or her grandchildren’s high school, Brookhaven Academy.Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave. Memphis, TN 38119, (901)767-8930, “Behind the Stone Wall”.
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