Joseph Emory Porter

Regretfully, our brother Joseph (“Joe”) Emory Porter passed away on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2023 at the age of 76.

Joe is survived by his brother John Porter and his wife Abby of Newton Grove, NC, his sister Mary Frances Barton and her husband Eugene of Eden, NC, and his sister Nancy Brown of Pigeon Forge, TN.

Joe was a lifelong resident of Eden, NC. Joe graduated from Eden’s Morehead High School in 1965 where he was a member of the National Honor Society. Joe graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill with a BS degree in Chemistry, and he cherished his 4 years at Carolina. Upon graduation Joe taught school at Holmes Junior High School. Joe then attended A&T State University in Greensboro where he studied accounting. Joe then passed the CPA exam, and worked for a public accounting firm in Greensboro. Joe then served for a time as the Finance Officer for the City of Eden.

Joe had an abiding love for his 3 siblings, their spouses, their children, and their grandchildren and extended family of 32. Although Joe had no children of his own, he took tremendous pride in watching each of his nieces, nephews, and their children grow. “Uncle Joe” gently encouraged each of them to prosper through educational achievement, as Joe himself had an unquenchable thirst for learning. Joe loved providing eldercare for various family members all through the years, and he loved studying the family’s ancestry. Joe took great pride in salvaging his grandparents’ Pigeon Forge TN home place in the 1990’s, having it moved and transforming it into a large successful vacation rental where his extended family could gather for semi-annual reunions. Joe always “counted down the days” in anxiously anticipating his attendance at the next family reunion. Probably Joe’s greatest passion in life was beach music, with good food (and ice cream) being a close second.

Joe had a heart of gold, was sentimental, and had a kind, forgiving temperament. He refused to ever give up on anyone. He always chose to see only the best in everyone he knew or came into contact with.

As time marched on, each of Joe’s many medical issues in recent years steadily worsened and took their toll on his mobility and acuity. Still, even in Joe’s final years, he remained positive about his health and his prospects for continuing to go places and do things. Joe loved living in his special home because it formerly was the old Porter’s 5 and 10 Store in Spray that Joe’s father, Jesse Porter, had owned and operated throughout Joe’s childhood. Although Joe had recently undergone several hospital stays, it was fitting that Joe was at home when he passed away on the night of Christmas Eve, 2023.