Charles "Jack" Porter

Charles H. "Jack" Porter, age 94 of Decorah, Iowa and formerly of St. Louis Park, Minnesota, died Sunday, July 22, 2007 at the Barthell Eastern Star Nursing Home in Decorah following a long illness. Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Friday, July 27, 2007 at Union Congregational United Church of Christ in St. Louis Park, Minnesota with burial in Glen Haven Memorial Park in Crystal, Minnesota. Friends may call after 10:00 A.M. Friday at the church. Fjelstul Funeral Home in Decorah is in charge of local arrangements. Charles H. Porter was born June 18, 1913 near Onida, S.D., the son of Robert N. and Edith E. (Brooking) Porter. He was the youngest of nine children. He graduated from Onida High School in 1931 at the peak of the Dust Bowl and Depression. In the late 1930s he went to California to find work. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1942 and was an airplane mechanic stationed primarily in Sheppard Field, Texas. He went to Japan as part of the occupation forces. After the war he and his brother, Glenn, owned Porter Trucking in Onida. On Dec. 11, 1948 he married Margaret C. Burrell. They lived in Onida until 1951 when they moved to Minneapolis so Charles could attend Dunwoody Industrial Institute, where he obtained a degree in autobody and painting. He worked for Raymond Motor Transportation and Hyman Freightways in Minneapolis, retiring in 1978. In 2003 he moved to Decorah to be near his daughter, Janet. Charles was happiest working with his hands when he could build, repair or invent something. His hobby was metal sculpture. The family enjoyed many vacations together. He was a 72-year member of the Masonic Lodge of Onida, S.D. He was preceded in death in 1995 by his wife, Margaret; his parents; and eight brothers and sisters: Ruth, Paul, Naomi, Hazel, Edwin, Maurice, Glenn and Edith. Surviving him is his daughter, Janet, of Decorah, and many nieces and nephews.