Obituary of William Eugene Porter

Porter, William Eugene age 90 of Mesa, Arizona and Park Rapids, Minnesota. On June 21, 2019 Bill passed away at home in Mesa after a battle with cancer. He grew up in North Dakota, and attended the University of North Dakota where he met and married his beloved wife, Phyllis in 1950. He went on to attend the University of North Dakota Law School in 1950. While in law school, he attended ROTC and upon graduation entered the Air Force. The family was stationed at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, where Bill was a government contracts attorney. In 1958 Bill went on to earn a Masters of Law degree at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. The family then settled in the Minneapolis, Minnesota area where he worked as a staff attorney and division counsel for Honeywell for 13 years; Control Data Corporation for 18 years as an Associate General Counsel and then as a private consultant. While in Minnesota, Bill received recognition from the Minnesota Governor for teaching an evening Contract Law course, and for planning and lecturing at the University of Minnesota Law School’s Annual Seminar on Contract Law; both for more than 20 years. After retiring, he and his wife lived in Mesa, Arizona during the winter and Park Rapids, Minnesota during the summer, where he enjoyed playing golf, reading, spending time with family and friends, and pursuing his interest in history. He is survived by his wife, Phyllis Jordheim Porter, his son Mark Porter (Cheryl), daughter Vicki O’Hargan (Bill), his grandchildren Brad, Kristin, Emily, Elise and Kenton; his great-granddaughters Harper and Alexis as well as his much-loved cousins and many friends. We will keep his wit, humor and love of family and friends in our hearts always. We invite family and friends to join us for a celebration of his life at Victory Lutheran Church, Mesa, Arizona, on July 20 at 1:30 p.m. with a reception following.