OBITUARY Mildred Whitaker Porter July 8, 1926 - December 18, 2022 Some light and love went out of the world on December 18, 2022, when Mildred Whitaker Porter died at the age of 96 from dementia and a devastating fall. Mildred found joy in the simple things of life--smiling, laughing, holding tiny babies, chatting with friends, reading the newspaper each morning, eating ice cream every chance she could, and drinking her favorite soda, diet Dr. Pepper. Boise State has lost one of their biggest fans, and she liked watching sports of any kind. She loved to sing, especially patriotic songs, and had a beautiful alto voice. Even when she lost the ability to speak, her words came back to sing along when guest pianists played oldies for the residents at the care center. Mildred dressed nicely, but her clothes always had to be rock-bottom bargains. She loved flowers, always planting lots of them in her yard wherever she lived. Each Memorial Day she decorated the graves of her departed loved ones with her own flowerpot arrangements she nurtured for weeks. Mildred was born July 8, 1926 and was adopted three days later from the Boise Children's Home by George and Belva Shaw. She was raised on a 60-acre farm midway between Nampa and Meridian. They had no indoor plumbing and hauled their water to the house for drinking and cooking. They bathed in a big, round washtub for their weekly baths. Because it was so much work to haul and heat water for baths, they all used the same bath water, and Mildred usually was the last! Her life revolved around the cycles of the farm year, and she loved riding with her "Daddy" (as she called him) on the hay-mowing machine or plow. At eight years of age, she helped herd cows on her horse named Mag. Mildred went to Roosevelt Country School for the first eight grades, where she played lots of softball, always at first base. She attended 9th grade at Nampa Junior High School, sang in the girls glee club and started piano lessons. Her dad said she didn't have to milk the cow if she'd practice the piano, but she didn't touch the piano until she heard her parents coming in from milking. She still was able to learn enough to eventually play for Sunday School. Mildred attended Nampa High School where her favorite activity was playing the clarinet in the marching band. She especially loved John Phillip Sousa marches. After graduation she attended Brigham Young University in the fall of 1944, a year before World War II ended so not many men were on campus. However, all that changed in 1945. The war ended, men returned, and handsome young Max Whitaker from Brigham City, Utah, caught her eye in November. They began dating seriously in February, became engaged in April, and were married in the Salt Lake Temple September 10, 1946. They moved to Logan, Utah where Max studied industrial arts education, science and math and eventually graduated with a bachelor's degree. They moved back to Nampa, Idaho where Max began teaching at Nampa Junior High School. They had their first four children, Deanna, Steve, and twins Barbara and Beverly. Mildred's parents George and Belva built a small home adjacent to their original home and needed help with the farm, so Mildred and Max moved into the renovated home where Mildred was raised. Two more children were born, Tom and Warren. Thus, the pattern of life was set for the Whitaker family, Max teaching school and farming with George, Mildred raising six children and supporting Max in his school responsibilities such as helping him grade papers night after night. Money was still a little tight, so Mildred worked part time at Birds Eye and the Sugar Factory. She could not have done it without the help of her mother who lived next to her. In 1966 Mildred started working at Western Construction Company as a payroll clerk, keeping immaculate handwritten records. She retired there in 1988. Mildred's greatest joys were her family and her faith. She was a life-long member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, served in the youth and women's organizations, and held positions of leadership. She rarely missed going to church and made sure the family went with her. She taught her children values of faith, charity, hard work and self-reliance. Over and over, they were taught, "If you want to have friends, you need to be one," "Smile and say hi!" "When all else fails, follow the directions," or "You can do it if you tell yourself I can, I will, and I'll try." She drummed into them the Whitaker formula for success, "Work will win when wishy washy wishing won't!" Mildred was blessed with great strength, faith, and endurance in adversity. She was a rock for her children to lean on as the family experienced trials associated with Max's epilepsy and depression largely caused by the medications he was taking. He passed away August 18, 1974, leaving Mildred a widow at the age of 48 with two children still at home. She carried on, the boys helped with the farm, and she went back to school at Boise State, receiving the bachelor's degree she always wanted in 1979. She married Clarence Vincent (nickname Vince) in 1988, and they enjoyed wintering in Lake Havasu, AZ for a few years. She nursed him through the last stages of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and he passed away October 30, 1993. Mildred spent three more years traveling to Lake Havasu for the winter, volunteering as a pink lady at the Samaritan Hospital, taking classes at the community college, and singing barbershop music with a group of 30 women who performed for community activities. She also started making quilts, and many of family members received one of her beautiful creations. In September of 1985, she was able to find her biological mother, Ethel Louise Smoot, who had passed away in 1940 at the age of 29. She discovered that she had been named Elsie Louise Smoot by her mother, but her name was changed to Mildred Shaw when she was adopted. She was able to contact relatives of her mother and enjoyed her association with them. Mildred married Preston Porter January 24, 1998, and she called him her "senior sweetheart." They were together for 12 years. Preston had a large family, and she loved being a part of their gatherings. She and Preston did a lot of things together--trips to the lake, travel, and just being together constantly. A line in Mildred's patriarchal blessing said that she would "stand as an angel of mercy to the sick in body and mind, relieving their sufferings by the touch of love and service." It was true with Max and Vince, and in 2006 it was true also with Preston as he began declining due to Alzheimer's disease. She could not bear to place him in the Veteran's Home nursing facility, so she cared for him until his death March 25, 2010. Her remaining years were spent with family, travel to Europe, Hawaii, Disneyland with Tom's family, and an Alaskan cruise. Her own decline with dementia began in 2019, and her daughter Beverly and husband Darrell lived with her and served her valiantly until June 2022 when Heron Place Assisted Living and Bluebird Hospice took over her care. She was loved by all the workers there. Mildred was predeceased by her mother and father, George and Belva Shaw, her brother Harlan Shaw, husbands Max Whitaker, Clarence Vincent, and Preston Porter, granddaughter Deidra Jean Tracy, and great-grandson Damon Robert Georgeson. She is survived by her children Deanna (Hal) Beames, Steve (Cindy) Whitaker, Barbara (Bob) Lewis, Beverly (Darrell) Bifano, Tom (Sharon) Whitaker, Warren (Mary) Whitaker, Jody Vincent Hadley, and Larry (Tawna) Porter, Ann (Shelly) Porter, David (Sherri) Porter, and Deborah Porter. She has 40 grandchildren and 103 great-grandchildren. The following are her words written in her personal history: "I have had some happy times, and some sad times, but that is life. I am so very thankful for my children and for Pres's children. I love them all very much. I thank Heavenly Father for all of the grandchildren and great-grandchildren. They are a blessing in my life. I am also thankful for my little mother who gave me life and for my parents who raised me." "Jesus throughout His ministry blessed the sick, restored sight to the blind, made the deaf to hear and the maimed to walk. He taught forgiveness by forgiving. He taught compassion by being compassionate. He taught devotion by giving of Himself. Jesus taught by example. I love each and every one of you and pray that you will follow the example of the Savior in your lives." With all my love, Mom, Grandma, Great-Grandma Whitaker Porter Yes, Mildred's life was a life well-lived. May we each remember what she taught us, what she gave us and follow her example. Heaven is a little brighter now that she has left us, but her love and light lives on through all those whose lives she touched. A viewing will be held Tuesday December 27, 2022, at Zeyer Funeral Chapel, 83 N. Midland Blvd., Nampa Idaho from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Services will be held at the Nampa 33rd Ward, 6111 Birch Lane, Nampa, Idaho, December 28, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. A viewing will precede the services from 10:00-10:45 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Humanitarian Fund of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at churchofjesuschrist.org. Perry Zeyer is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting. Topic: Mildred Jane Porter Time: Dec 28, 2022 11:00 AM Mountain Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87034495662?pwd=N3ovUkVpM1VRN0Z6MnFJZmdoNXAzZz09 Meeting ID: 870 3449 5662 Passcode: 879373 One tap mobile +12532050468,,87034495662#,,,,*879373# US +12532158782,,87034495662#,,,,*879373# US (Tacoma)
Add comment