Toni Porter

Nora May Toni Porter was a woman rich in the things in life that count: a strong work ethic, a generous spirit devoted to helping others, and above all, an unconditional love for her children, grandchildren, family and friends. Always thinking of others before herself, Toni was both blessed by and a blessing to those she knew and loved. The United States was wading through the aftermath of World War I in 1920. Many Americas found prosperity working in the newly developed manufacturing sector, and although productivity increased, wages were not, attributing to the start of the depression, which created turmoil all across the U.S. While the nation enjoyed this time of prosperity, James and Ivy (Peterson) Carden of Muskegon, Michigan had their own reason to celebrate. On May 14, 1920, the couple was overjoyed with the birth of their first child, a daughter they named Nora May, though she would go by Toni. As the oldest of six, Toni was a traditional big sister to her siblings: Mickey, Don, Bob, Sally and Kaye. Her role became even bigger however when her mother died in 1928. Her father eventually remarried to Lila, but she died when Toni was 15. Despite these tragedies, her father worked hard to provide for their family, working at the Norge Plant in Muskegon. Along with her siblings, Toni grew up in a neighborhood near the Continental Motors Plant, and attended the area schools. Like many young girls of the time, she left school after the tenth grade in order to find work and help support her family. Her first job was waitressing at the Occidental Hotel as well as various other restaurants. At the age of 18, Toni was introduced to Arthur G. Porter, who was 26, through some mutual friends. Art was a very worldly man who had traveled around the country jumping from train to train, like a hobo. This didnt impress Toni; in fact, she didnt really like him much a first. After great persistence, Art finally got a date with Toni, and as they say, the rest is history. Art and Toni were happily married on October 3, 1939, in Ohio. It wasnt long after settling into married life together, that the couple welcomed the birth of their first child, son David was born in 1942. He was later joined by a sister, Kaye, in 1944, and brother, Douglas, in 1953. Sadly, Art and Toni also endured heartache with the loss of two children, Phillip who was miscarried, and Diane who was stillborn. Art and Toni raised their children in the Shady Park neighborhood on Carlton Street. The family was regular attendees at the Faith Reformed Church, and later at First Baptist Church. Time together as a family was always important, and they enjoyed spending many summers camping at Silver Lake, which was close enough for Toni and Art to commute to work. Toni was a pretty good cook, especially when it came to her Italian spaghetti, which took three days to cook. No one walked away with leftovers on their plate from this meal, Toni made sure of it. Although she worked outside the home, Toni was a constant support to her children in their school and sporting activities. It was while her children attended Dangl School that Toni met Juanda Schleban, who also had kids in Dangl, and they became lifelong friends and traveling companions later in life. Besides being a devoted wife and mother, Toni also worked at Misco since 1957, where they made jet engine turbines. Throughout her 22 years of service with Misco, Toni was a member of the UAW Local #1243, and had been their in-plant Community Service Chairperson. She also headed up many of their United Way fund drives, which was only the start of Tonis volunteering. With her strong work ethic, Toni eventually became a five stage final inspector at the plant, until she retired in 1979. To say that Toni was a great volunteer would only be putting it mildly. Toni was a passionate volunteer who loved to give of her time and talents with many organizations for many years. She served on the Advisory Council for the Allegan, Muskegon, Ottawa Substance Abuse (AMOSA) for 15 years, and was elected a Muskegon Township Trustee from 1992-1996. Toni was involved with the Hackley Hospital Follies Fundraisers for ten shows as well as with the Easter Seals, Community Mental Health and many others. In recognition of her honorable deeds, Toni received many different awards for her volunteer work, including the UAW Community Service Queen, Volunteer of the Year for AMOSA, an award from the Easter Seals and Muskegon County Commissioners. One of Tonis proudest awards she accepted was the Liberty Bell award from the Muskegon County Bar Association. But this only scratches the surface of Tonis selfless acts of volunteering; there are so many more she devoted her time to. Although her volunteer work certainly kept her busy, Toni never missed an opportunity to spend time with her husband, children and grandchildren. She and Art were very social, not to mention a lot of fun to be around. They were active members of the Moose, Elks and the Mona Lake Boat Club, and enjoyed traveling with friends, though Art only went if there was a golf course nearby. Toni was a very proud Grandma and was always in her glory whenever she could be with her grandchildren and great grandchildren, whom she adored. She babysat whenever possible and showered them with her love. Sadly, Toni lost her beloved husband, Art, in 1993, but keeping busy helped her through this heartbreaking time. Although Toni experienced some health issues over the years, and was losing her sight, she lived independently in her home in Shady Park, which was filled with forty years of wonderful memories with her family. In 2002, however, she went to live with her son Dave, in Whitehall, where she died on Sunday, September 30, 2007. Toni loved to experience and appreciate the world around her. She did many things in her life, all of which shaped her into the person her family and friends loved dearly. All who knew and loved Toni will treasure her memory. Nora May "Toni" Porter is survived by 2 sons: David (Christine) Porter of Whitehall and Douglas (Judy) Porter of Traverse City; 1 daughter, Kaye Wiegand of Muskegon; 6 grandchildren: Julie, Stacie, Troy, David, Michael and Stephanie; 7 great grandchildren: Andrew, Kennedy, Hunter, Shelby, Rylee, Matthew, Katie and Joshua; 2 sisters: Sally (Thomas) Martin of Phoenix, AZ and Kay Johnson of FL; 2 special nephews: Reggie (Susan) and Danny (Bea), son-in-law, David Bruce. A special thanks to Visiting Nurse Hospice. She was preceded in death by her husband, Arthur, a daughter, Diane L. Porter, in 1951. Funeral services for Toni will be held on Friday, October 5, at 1:00 p.m. at the Clock Chapel of Clock Life Story Funeral Home Muskegon with Rev. John Rager officiating. Interment at Mona View Cemetery. Friends and relatives may visit with Tonis family on Friday, 1 hour prior to the service at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to VNS Hospice or Easter Seals. Please visit Tonis memory page at www.lifestorynet.com where you may leave a memory with her family or sign her online guest book.