Obituary: John William Porter

John W. Porter, 96, of Oskaloosa, died Monday, December 12, 2022, at Mahaska Serenity House in Oskaloosa. He was born July 7, 1926, into two prominent, pioneer Oskaloosa families, the son of Rex Van Fleet Porter and Irene Barnhouse Porter.

After graduating Oskaloosa High School in 1944, John served in the United States Navy. Among his assignments, he tested into and was accepted into the U. S. Naval School of Music in Washington, D.C., and later jokingly said he woke up President Roosevelt and all of Washington, D.C. each day playing revelry over a microphone/P.A. system. He was later assigned to play the lead trumpet in the Navy Band in Puerto Rico. Following his discharge, John attended the University of Iowa, and was a member of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity and remained a lifelong Hawkeye fan. On September 11, 1950, he was united in marriage to Jeanne Murray at Iowa City.

He was a 5th generation lumberman in Iowa, and followed in working for and later became president of Hawkeye Lumber Companies in Iowa and retired in 2012, after 62 years. John was active in many Oskaloosa, state, and national organizations, and was especially proud of his role as lead trumpet in the Oskaloosa City Band for 28 years. He was a long-time member of the St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Oskaloosa. His family includes his wife, Jeanne Porter of Oskaloosa, a daughter and son in law: Joan and Dr. Kim J. Wass of Ames; three grandchildren: Kristina (Jason) Van Allen of Lubbock, Texas, Andrew Wass of Arlington, Virginia, and Daniel (Alana) Porter Koogler of Monument, Colorado; 5 great grandchildren, and a sister, Martha Ingels of Mesa, Arizona.

Besides his parents, John was preceded in death by a son, Charles Murray “Charley” Porter in 1995, and a sister, Mary Sunstrum.

Funeral services will be private, however a period of open visitation will be Thursday from 4 – 6 p.m. at the Bates Funeral Chapel in Oskaloosa. Memorials may be designated to the Oskaloosa City Band and sent to or left with the Bates Funeral Chapel or the family.

Source: Bates Funeral Chapel