Melva Porter

In Loving Memory of Our Dearest Melva Porter April 21st, 1922 - June 7th, 2015 Melva Porter was called home to be with Jesus at the age of 93 on Sunday June 7th, 2015. She passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family, in her Anaheim Hills home where she had been under hospice care since late March of 2015. Melva was born April 21st, 1922 in Steubenville, Ohio but grew up in Midland, Pennsylvania as the eldest of her two sisters, Dorothy (15 months younger) and Olga (7 years younger). She loved her parents, Dane and Sophie Katish, with all of her heart and would often reflect on the great many adventures that she had shared with her family. Her mother, Sophie, was a very kind and gentle, God-fearing woman that passed on her beautiful qualities and culinary talents to Melva. Melva's father, Dane, was a softspoken but driven, God-fearing man with a beautiful voice. He often played the Tamburitza (a Serbian stringed instrument) for the family, which sparked within Melva a deep love for music. Melva went on to learn the piano, the violin, the trumpet, and to even become a choir director for her church. On October 19th of 1942, Melva married her loving husband, Frederick Porter, from the countryside who had worked with her father in the steel mills of Pennsylvania. Together, they had two lovely daughters, Cynthia and Debbie, and later, a son-in-law, Stephen, and their only granddaughter, Melissa, who was very close with Melva and inherited her love for music. Frederick and Melva were happily married for 72 years. Although Melva's favorite passion and hobby was music, her talent stretched out in many other areas of her life as well. She was a self-made woman who became insurance adjustor of the year during a time when such an achievement was unheard of for a woman. She loved to read and write poetry. She loved to paint and sketch, and was able to see beauty in every little thing. She loved to sew, knit, and crochet as well as quilling and needlepoint projects. Most of all, she loved to make others smile and feel loved. Her positivity and love for The Lord and her family were truly contagious. Melva is survived and remembered by her husband, Frederick Porter, and their two daughters, Debbie Gonzales and Cynthia Porter. She is survived and remembered by her son-in-law, Stephen Gonzales, and her granddaughter, Melissa Gonzales. A memorial service for Melva will be held Monday June 22nd at 10 am at Emerson Bartlett Memorial Chapel in Redlands.