CUMBERLAND – John Warren Porter, 78, passed peacefully Nov. 14, 2010, at Bay Square, Yarmouth. He was born Nov. 25, 1931, in Orono, a son of Thomas and Ethel Porter. After graduating from Orono High School in 1950, he joined the U.S. Air Force and served as a staff sergeant until 1956. John returned to school to pursue his passion for teaching and mathematics, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in education in 1959 and a Master of Education degree in 1966 from the University of Maine. In 1974 he received his Master of Science degree in education from the University of Maine at Portland-Gorham. John’s teaching career in mathematics spanned three decades in several local schools and colleges. He taught at North Yarmouth Memorial School; Pennell Jr. High School, Gray; Gray-New Gloucester High School, where he also served as assistant principal and director of Adult Education; North Yarmouth Academy; St. Joseph’s College; and the University of Southern Maine. He was a coach for the Pi-Cone Math League and a member of the National Council of Mathematics Teachers and the Association of Mathematics Teachers in Maine. Outside of the classroom, John served his community in many other ways. He was a rural mail carrier in North Yarmouth for many years. He was a trustee and superintendent of Blanchard Cemetery, Falmouth, for 25 years; a member of the Maine Old Cemeteries Association and Maine Cemeterians; a former trustee of Maine Center for the Blind; and past president and active member of Cumberland/North Yarmouth Lions Club. John was a member of Cumberland Congregational Church and North Yarmouth Congregational Church, and was an avid gardener, outdoor enthusiast and traveled extensively to volunteer for Elder-Hostel and Habitat for Humanity projects in his later years. He is survived by his son, Jeffrey W. Porter and his wife, Mary, of Cumberland, and their five children, Molly, Eliza, Sam, Isabel and Tate; his son, James W. Porter and his partner, Alison Moser, of Poland; his sister, Dorothy Fielder of Bangor; his former wife, Rita Conlogue Porter of Farmington; his stepson, Fred Conlogue and his wife, Tammy, of Farmington, and their three children, Zachary, Griffin and Mackenzie; and his stepson, Mike Conlogue and his wife, Paige, of Montpelier, Vt., and their two children, Madeline and Thomas. He was predeceased by his first wife, Yvonne Goupil Porter, in 1968; and a son John W. Porter Jr., in 1986. The family extends their heartfelt gratitude to the caring staff at Bay Square and Beacon Hospice. A celebration of his life will be held 6-9 p.m. Friday, Nov. 19, at Val Halla Banquet Center, 58 Val Halla Road, Cumberland. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Cumberland/North Yarmouth Lions Club scholarship fund.
JOHN WARREN PORTER
