Porter will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 65 years, Betty, and his children, Mike (Angie), Valerie (John) Spainhower. Porter will also be fondly remembered by his seven grandchildren, Lillian, Maggie, Brianna, Jesse, Lindsay, Oliver and Lucy and by his brothers, Jerry (Judy) Thompson and Tommy (Jennifer) Battles.
Porter was born on October 23, 1934 in Branford, Connecticut. He was the son of Thomas and Janet Battles. In 1951, at the age of 17, he joined the United States Marine Corps. He served his time during the Korean War. After leaving active duty he went on to Wake Forest College and graduated with a degree in accounting. He also completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School and graduate study at Boston University. He was a member of the American Institute of CPA’s and the North Carolina Institute of CPA’s for more than forty years.
He started his career at Peat, Marwick Mitchell & Co. In 1965 he joined Blue Bell Inc. as an accountant. Through the years he served the company as Financial controller of Canadian Operations, Financial controller of European Operations, President of European Operations, Vice President International and as a member of the board. He lived over fourteen years in Belgium while working for Blue Bell. After retiring from Blue Bell Inc., he was involved in several small business ventures and was the Chairman of Secure Designs Inc. in Greensboro.
He was President of the Children’s Home Society Foundation for 7 years and served as treasurer of the Children’s Home Society for 10 years. His involvement with the board of the Children’s Home Society Foundation spanned over 30 years. He served on the board of visitors of the Wake Forest Undergraduate School of Business and on the board of the Deacon Club. He was a member of Greensboro Kiwanis, the Greensboro Investment Club and served on the board of the North Carolina Railroad. He was also a longtime member of the Sedgefield Hunt and served as Honorary Secretary/treasurer.
Porter spent a great deal of time traveling for both pleasure and work. He visited most of the world’s countries during his travels. He loved Wake Forest sports and was an avid hunter and fisherman. He participated in many African Safaris and received more than 50 hunting awards as member of the Safari Club International.
Porter accomplished everything he set out to do in life. He lived a life full of adventure, family and love. He left this world with no regrets.
A funeral service for Porter will be held on Wednesday, April 17, 2019 at 10:00 a.m., at St. Mary’s Episcopal Church, 108 W. Farriss Ave, High Point, NC 27262. Those who desire may make memorial donations in memory of Porter to the Children’s Home Society of North Carolina, PO Box 14608 Greensboro, NC 27415.
Online condolences may be made through www.haneslineberryfuneralhomes.com.
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