Clarissa Bartlett Porter

Clarissa Porter, age 73, died at her home in Charlotte on December 23, 2013. The cause was non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She was the daughter of Sallie and George W. Penny, Jr., of Rumford, RI. She is survived by her husband, Dr. William G. Porter; a son, Jacob M. Pennink; a grandson, Zeppelin Murray; a brother, George W. Penny, III, and his family.

Clarissa attended Lincoln School in Providence, RI, and Vassar College, after which she helped found St. Ann’s School in Brooklyn Heights, NYC. She moved to Charlotte in 1972 and taught for many years at Charlotte Country Day School. She served on the Board of WDAV, Davidson College’s classical music station, and A Child’s Place, and worked tirelessly, often anonymously, to support historic preservation of houses on Nantucket Island, where she spent her summers.

A service to celebrate the life of Clarissa Penny Porter will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, January 12, 2013 in the chapel of Harry & Bryant, 500 Providence Road, Charlotte, with the Reverend Dale Mullennix officiating. The family will receive friends following the service at the Porter residence.

Memorial contributions can be made to A Child’s Place, P.O. Box 33302, Charlotte, NC 28233.