Obituary of Philip S. Porter

PHILIP SHERIDAN PORTER, JR. Lieutenant Commander, US Navy (Retired) Of Vienna, Virginia, on March 20, 2013, at the age of 96, at The Virginian nursing home in Fairfax, where he had been lovingly cared for the last year of his life. Born August 28, 1916, in Monark Springs, Missouri, to Philip Sheridan Porter and Edith Georgia Johnson Porter, he was the devoted big brother to Lois Evans and Calvin C. Porter, who preceded him in death. He suffered the loss of his wife of 59 years, Mary Rebecca “Becky” Glaize of Strasburg, Virginia, on October 19, 2011. Survived by his children, Roy C. Porter of Vienna, Robert and wife Debbie of Ijamsville, Maryland, and their children Chris, David, Katie and Amy, James and Amy of Vienna and their son Thomas, Virginia “Ginger” Bova and husband Tony of York, Pennsylvania, and their children, Ellie, Peter, James, Paul, Theresa, Mary Rose, Anne, and Charlotte, and John and his wife Jeni of Falls Church and their son, Mason. Phil served in the US Navy for over 23 years, including combat aboard aircraft carriers in the Pacific theater during WWII and on PBYs at Sitka, Alaska, before marrying on December 14, 1952. He retired from the Navy in 1961, and entered the private sector as a technical editor. A brilliant man who passed his love of learning to his descendants, he took a keen interest in nature and the environment and founded the Organic Living Society of Northern Virginia in 1971, a local club for organic gardeners. His children feel very fortunate to have had such a remarkable man for a father, guide, and friend. The family will hold a private celebration of his life, followed by a private burial in the River View Cemetery in Strasburg, Virginia, beside his wife. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the American Red Cross, which was instrumental in bringing Phil and Becky together.