Twenty-five year Bullhead City resident Charlene Jo Porteous passed away at her home, surrounded by her children and family friends on March 29, 2014. She was 73 years old.

Charlene was born in the city of Taft, California in Kern County on June 26, 1940 to her parents, Charles and Josephine Briscoe. She had one brother, Jack Briscoe and one sister, Anne Neiger. She was a graduate of South Pasadena High School and she also attended University of the Pacific. All five of her children attended South Pasadena High with the oldest graduating on the 20th anniversary of her own graduation. She was married to Ralph Porteous whom she met and married in Pasadena, California. Charlene and Ralph, a fireman and Emergency Medical Technician for the city of San Marino, lived and raised their five children in South Pasadena, where she was a business owner and full-time mother to her children.

Charlene was a very talented artist and loved to create things. She was a painter, sculptor, and she also sewed, knitted, crocheted, embroidered, and did needlepoint. She was a member of the Creative Arts Group of Sierra Madre. After Charlene and her husband retired in Bullhead City she attended the Bullhead City Campus of the Mohave Community College in Arizona where she continued to study art and was eligible for membership of Phi Theta Kappa, and was named to the student's honor list. She was an award winning artist, member, and contributor to the Bullhead City Artist Guild.

Charlene was also an avid animal lover. She trained, bred, groomed, and showed dogs while she was a member of the Pasanita Obedience Club. She was also a member and volunteer at the Pasadena Humane Society and she was the proprietor of Charlene's Dog Gone Grooming while she still lived in California. In 1986 Charlene was named in the 16th Edition of Who's Who in California by the Who's Who Historical Society.

Charlene is survived by four of her five children, Richard (SPHS '78)and his wife Daisy Brown, Pamela Briscoe, Deborah Brown (SPHS '80), and David (SPHS '82) and his wife Jenn Brown; and ten grandchildren, Kathy Jo Morgan, Debbi Morgan Thompson, Natalie Choto, Samantha and Brittany Brown, Wyatt, Matt, and Marc Behringer, and Dwight and Dustin Sylva.  She was predeceased by her daughter Donna Brown Thoemmes (SPHS '81)

Mohave Valley Daily News, April 6, 2014