- Date Of Birth: July 23, 1942
- Date Of Death: August 22, 2015
- State: Iowa
Betty Mae (Smith) Porter, 73, of Newton, formerly of Monroe died Saturday, August 22, at her home, surrounded by her family.
Betty was born July 23, 1942, in Marshalltown, Iowa, to Leonard and Twila (Earhart) Smith. She was raised in the Union, Whitten area and graduated from Union-Whitten High School in 1960. In 1962, after a two week courtship with Gene Porter, Betty married the love of her life. They were married 53 years. To this union there were 4 daughters. Betty retired in 1998 from Pella Corporation.
Upon discovering the sudden diagnosis of her advanced stage pancreatic cancer, Betty regretted being such a good mom. She thought if she’d been meaner the kids wouldn’t miss her so much. She always put her family before herself. Gene said “Mom would fight a cage full of lions for her girls.” It was Betty’s wish that she and Gene both be cremated and commingle their remains because she had kept him this long, she wasn’t going to let him go now.
Betty will be forever missed by her husband, Edgar E. (Gene) Porter, her children: Brenda (Jay) DeHaai, Tammy (Dale) Schmidt, Connie (Patrick) Knowles, and Lori (Brian) Carlyle; 14 grandchildren: Alan (Vicki) DeHaai, Jayson (Kristi) DeHaai, Janine (Jeff) Bauer, Alicia (Grant) Smith, Lucas (Joni) Smith, David (Lacey) Knowles, Danielle Smith (Collins Barber), Fred Horstman (Rachel Sheers), Jordan Knowles, Spencer Rinehart (Jessica Woods), Sydney Rinehart (Chris Vos) , Zach Carlyle, Shawna Leimbacher, Justin Carlyle; and 14 great grandchildren: Zachary, Dalten, Matthew, Jessica Ashley, Cohen, Norah, Chanse, Izaiah, Aiden, Zander, Landon, Brystol and Hudson.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Leanna, and her great grandson Legend Dean.
