Howard Jay Porter, 89, a lifelong Shelby resident and an Army Air Corps veteran, died Monday, April 20, 2009 at home due to natural causes. Funeral services will be at Whitted Funeral Chapel on Thursday, April 23 at 3 p.m. followed by burial with military honors at Mountain View Cemetery. The family asks that you join them after the graveside services at Shelby Elks Club to share memories of his life.
Howard is survived by his wife of 49 years, Dolores; four children, Ron (Jeanne) Fairhurst of Sunburst, Lynne (Ron) Jensen of Willow Creek and Don and Jay Porter, both of Shelby; six grandchildren, Maggie Fairhurst currently of Yakima, Wash., Fred Fairhurst of Sunburst, Denya (Charlie) Jacobs and Shannon (Marvin) Mamangun, both of Belgrade and Kevin and Derrick Porter of Seattle; five great-grandchildren, Emma, Alina and Luke Jacobs and Leila and Gavin Mamangun. He is also survived by several cousins.
Howard was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Orrin Porter, and one son, Howard Thomas Porter in 1979.
Howard was born in Dunkirk in 1919, the eldest of two sons born to Sam and Lois Porter. His parents later divorced. The family moved to Shelby when he was a small child and he attended school there, graduating from Shelby High School. He enlisted in the Army and was trained as a tail gunner in the Army Air Corps during World War II. He was discharged in 1946 while serving at a discharge center in Omaha. Upon his return home he attended one year of college at Bozeman in pre-vet. He worked a wide variety jobs from dairy work and grocery delivery while he was in high school to manager of the Shelby Job Service Office and teaching school.
Howard met Dolores Dingman Hawkins while they were both working for the old Great Northern Railroad and married her and her three children Nov. 3, 1959. Two more children were born to this union, Howie and Jay. He returned to school in 1967 and for three years the whole family attended school in Havre, where he graduated from Northern Montana College in 1970 with a degree in education, majoring in vo tech. He took a job in Hughenden, Alberta and taught there for five years, then returned to Shelby where he worked for Farmers Union GTA Elevator until his retirement in 1984.
He continued to work part-time for several years after his retirement as groundskeeper for Marias Museum, bailiff for the Ninth Judicial District Court and other odd jobs.
Howard loved visiting (or harassing) people in stores when he was shopping. He was a friend to everyone. He enjoyed hunting, bowling, and golf. He had a beautiful voice and sang for many weddings, funerals, in the Lutheran Choir and, when he was younger, for the Oilfield Men’s Chorus. He said he learned to sing by singing to the cattle while working in the Sweet Grass Hills. Howard will be greatly missed by his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren