Maynard Grant Porter

A farm boy, Maynard was the youngest of nine kids (and a twin to his sister, Mic, who "beat me by 10 minutes" he reminded people whenever he told the story). When he was in high school, Maynard's uncle, Joy, heard of work opportunities at the shipyards in Oregon, so Irving moved the family out west. Maynard worked from a young age, as many children that came of age during the Great Depression did. When Maynard got to Portland, he immediately found work picking vegetables, and in his words, "I was really making more money than I had ever seen. Some of these native Oregonian kids couldn't believe how hard I worked. I wanted some money!" Maynard continued his high school education at Parkrose High School in his junior year. His mother insisted that all her kids finish high school, no excuses. Following high school, he and his good friend, Jim Kirkwood, got jobs at the Oregon Shipyard, building pontoon boats. The shipyard dock eventually burned down, WWII was coming to an end, and Maynard and Jim knew they might be drafted. So they decided to join the Navy. "Nothing was going to keep me out of the service, being I had three brothers in the service already." Maynard served during both World War II and the Korean War. He was stationed on the USS Arthur Middleton, a transport ship, and he made 6 1/2 round trips between San Francisco and Pearl Harbor, bringing soldiers back from the war. During the Korean War, Maynard and his friend Jim were stationed up in Seattle, and hitchhiked to Portland about every other week. "Many times we were standing in the dark somewhere between Seattle and Portland. We didn't care, as long as we could get to Portland and the Top Rail Tavern before it closed!" Maynard honorably discharged from the service in 1951.

In June 1953, Maynard started as a temporary worker at S&H Green Stamps. He lasted 26 years at that job, mostly stationed in Portland. During his time at S&H in Portland, he "met this good looking gal by the name of Sherry. Some other girl had her eyes on me and she followed me all over, but my eyes were on Sherry." In 1960, he married Sherry Burlingame and the two of them raised her son, Michael. Eventually, the plant in Portland closed. He was very well-liked at his job, and his boss asked if he would consider transferring to the S&H plant in Reno. Eventually Maynard and Sherry moved to Reno for S&H, and it was there that the couple had their son, Kirk. The plant in Reno eventually shut down, and Maynard was given the choice of transferring to Chicago, or having expenses paid to move back to Portland. He chose Portland, and after quite a search, ended up working for Rudie Wilhelm until he retired.

Throughout his life, he kept in close contact with his siblings, going to family gatherings almost weekly. Friday nights were devoted to dinners out, followed by Poker and Rummy (and a fair amount of beer) into the late hours. And every fourth of July found the family gathering for a picnic, cards, and general good times. Maynard was a favorite uncle throughout his life. In addition to family, Maynard also had many friendships he maintained over the years. Once he accepted you into his circle, you had a friend for life. One of his best friends was Gary, his brother-in-law. They spent many Saturdays at the Corner Pocket Tavern, playing pool. Maynard was a bowler, and at one point joined a league. He enjoyed fishing and hunting and loved playing cards and checkers. He found yardwork soothing and felt most at peace tending to his yard. He had a real knack for house painting, almost having a second career in house painting after retiring. He and Sherry attended Woodland Park Baptist Church for several years.

Maynard was known for his strong work ethic, responsible nature and desire to provide for his family. He was a practical man; always using his money wisely. Maynard had a great sense of humor and often enjoyed playing practical jokes. He was a rabble rouser and loved to have a good time. His son Michael would often marvel at how often Maynard would “predict” the outcome of a ballgame on TV, only to find out later that they were watching reruns so Maynard already knew the outcome.

Michael remembers one time when he was twelve years old and on a little league team. Maynard did not come to the games, with the exception of one time when he did attend. At this game, he bet Michael 50 cents that he wouldn’t hit a home run, knowing that Michael had only hit one home run all season. Sure enough, Michael hit that home run and Maynard had to pay up.

Maynard spent the last eleven years of his life under the loving care provided at Ana’s Adult Care Home, as his dementia progressed. He was under exceptional hospice care the last week of his life. He is survived by his sons Michael and Kirk, his grandsons, Michael Jr. and Marty, his granddaughter Melissa, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. He will be deeply missed by all the people he touched during his lifetime. He was the last child of nine to be born, and the last to move on to the next adventure. In our family, it feels like the end of an era. But he always longed for his siblings and his wife who passed away in 2012, and we are sure he is now playing poker with them at the ultimate Porter Card Game in the next world over.

Services will be held on Wednesday, June 29th at Gateway Little Chapel of the Chimes. A viewing will start that day at 9am, followed by the funeral service at 10:30am with a committal service at Willamette National Cemetery at 12:30pm.