John William Porter  '42  passed away September 25, 2006.  John lettered in sports and enjoyed the friendships made during his school years.  He attended many class reunions, getting updates on where the different families had located and how their lives have progressed over these many years.

John graduated mid-term, February 1942, and enlisted in the U.S. Navy.  He served aboard the USS Pennsylvania from the Aleutian Islands to the South Pacific and returned home November 1945.  John was welcomed home by his wife Jane and daughter Marsha.  Later, to complete their family, John Jr. and Dana arrived.

In 1961, at too early an age, Jane passed away from cancer.  John now had the role of mother and father.  Marsha stayed with John's mother on the mainland and John and boys moved to Catalina Island in the fall of 1961 where he managed Barrington Plumbing.  John met his future wife, Lalla, in Avalon in September 1964 where she and her children, Donna and Henry were vacationing.  They were married on Valentine's Day 1965.  They enjoyed 41 1/2 years together.  During that time, John bought the plumbing business from Art Barrington.  Upon retirement, John and Lalla left the Island in January 1994 for a new beginning in Arizona.  John and Lalla enjoyed traveling across country in their car, visiting many friends and relatives.  The highlight of each trip was stopping in Washington, DC to re-visit the Navy Memorial and see the WW II Memorial.

John became ill in July 2006 and passed away two months later.  He requested that his ashes be scattered in the Pacific.  On October 13th, his wish was granted and he is on his way to meet up with the USS Pennsylvania which was scuttled at Kwajalein Bay, Guam.  The "Pennsy," a fine ship, refused to be sunk after being used as target practice on Bikini Atoll and was later towed to Guam and sunk to be a fish refuge.

John is survived by his sister Marjorie Waters '42 of Pittsville, California and predeceased by brother James "Jimmy" Porter '39 in November 2005.