OBITUARY: Louis Abner "Sam" Porter

Louis Abner “Sam” Porter passed away peacefully, August 21 in Mesa, Ariz. He is survived by his daughter Barbara Schultz, of Apache Junction; his sons Kenneth, of Casa Grande; Preston, of Coolidge; Louis, of Apache Junction; nine grandchildren, four great-grandchildren; his sister Alice Dyer, of Eager; his brothers David, of Show Low; and Melvin, of Sun City; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brothers Horace, Preston, and Eugene; and by his sister Annie Locket McMahan.
Louis was born in 1921 in Apache Creek to Joseph Baxter Porter and Emily Locket Gambel Porter, where he worked on the family’s farm and ranch, and attended high school in nearby Reserve. He volunteered for the Army Air Corps during World War II, and eventually became a flight trainer, stationed mostly at airfields in Texas. He earned a baccalaureate and a masters degree from Oklahoma State University, and was a well respected and innovative educator for more than thirty years. He taught at Reserve High School from 1953-62, and founded the school’s agriculture department and Future Farmers of America chapter. He moved to Tularosa in 1962 where he taught at Tularosa High School and also founded that school’s agriculture department and FFA chapter.
He moved to Magdalena in 1971 where he served as high school principal until 1975. He also taught special education at Mary C. O’Brien School, in Pinal County, Ariz. In 1980 he moved to Young, Arizona where he founded that school’s agriculture department and FFA chapter. He then returned to the Valley and taught at Phoenix Indian School from 1982-86. He lived in Florence, Arizona from 1998-2004.
Memorial services will be held Tuesday, August 31, at 10 a.m., at Mountain View Mortuary, 7900 E. Main Street, in Mesa. Services will also be held at Reserve Presbyterian Church in Reserve, New Mexico, on Wednesday, September 1, at 11 a.m. Interment will follow at the Apache Creek Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Hospice of the Southwest, 450 N. Dobson Rd., Ste. 108, Mesa, AZ, 85201. Donations can be made to the Reserve Senior Center, Reserve, NM, 87830.

OBITUARY: Louis Abner "Sam" Porter