Larry Porter Obituary

Larry Darwin Porter, age 83; of Ithaca and Greenville, Michigan ran into the arms of his savior, Jesus, on Friday, February 21,2025 at Vista Springs Timber Ridge, East Lansing. He was born at home in Lafayette Township, Gratiot County, Michigan on January 26, 1942, the son of Clifford E. and Ruth C. (Howd) Porter. He lived most of his life on the family farm in Hamilton Township.

Larry was a cheerful and generous man who worked very hard with farming with his brother, Ed. He found people who needed help and he was ready to give to them.

They worked together for most of their lives farming. Larry worked at times at Federal Mogul in St. Johns. Farming was his life. He and Ed were both mechanically adept with all of the faming machinery and often created their own solutions. They fabricated stainless steel fertilizer spouts to sell.

Larry was in the National Guard from 1963 to 1969. In July 1967 he and other men from the Alma National Guard unit served in Detroit during the Detroit riots.

Larry enjoyed traveling in the winter time with family. His first time traveling was going to Fort Jackson, South Carolina for the National Guard. He also traveled to North Carolina, Kentucky, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Louisiana, Virginia and Hawaii.

In 2014 he enjoyed his first cruise to the Bahamas. Later he cruised to Honduras, Belize, Mexico and Grand Cayman. Another cruise to the Bahamas was his last cruise in 2022. He was always amazed at all of the beautiful countries. He always found someone to talk to everywhere he was.

He attended elementary school at Sickles, Michigan. He attended high school in Ithaca, Michigan until he was 16 years old on his birthday. He was responsible for farming with his brother when their father was disabled. Later he earned his high school GED. He met his perfect sweetheart and married Charlotte Fidler on
March 19, 1977 at Edgewood Church of God, Ithaca. They were married for 47 years. He served on the Board of Trustees at the church
and volunteered for several projects, including manufacturing a safety barrier for the hall balcony.

They moved to Greenville, Michigan in 2019 to be closer to family.

Larry enjoyed visiting his relatives and talking to everyone about his life. He spread the word of God whenever he could with kindness. He cherished his wife, sons, daughter-in-law and grandson. Being with his grandson was a joy, as well as all of his family. He gave his family everything they needed. He planned to prepare for the future. Larry is survived by his wife, Charlotte (Fidler) Porter, his sons, Jonathan, Jason (Michelle) and grandson, James, his niece, Susan (Fidler) Aaron Athearn, other nieces and nephew, cousins and many friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents, sister and brother.

There will be a celebration of life on June 21, 2025 at 11am at the Edgewood Church of God, 160 S. Barry Rd., Ithaca, MI 48847. Visitation will take place from 10am until the time of the service at the church. A dinner will follow. Chaplain Dan Thompson will be officiating.

A cremation was done. His remains will be interred in Hamilton Township Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Edgewood Church of God, Veterans Affairs, or a food bank in Ithaca.

The family is being served by the Barden Funeral Home in Ithaca. Condolences may be left for the family online at www.bardenfuneralhome.com.