Children are welcome to attend this service. The church facility has multiple diaper changing stations, and the cry room has a mothers’ nursing area & rocking chairs, kids’ toys, as well as viewing windows and audio speakers for parents to experience the service with kids who need an option other than sitting in the sanctuary pews. The restrooms and water fountains have step-stools for little ones to reach water.

 

Obituary

Elsie Ruth Barker Porter was born on May 9, 1938 in Murphy, NC, to the late Rev. Paul A. Barker and Esther Temperley Barker, and passed away 6:05 A.M. Tuesday, July 23, 2024. As a youth, Ruth was very active in the United Methodist Church, fulfilling her role as a “P.K.” (preacher’s kid) with grace and enthusiasm. After high school, Ruth attended University of Tennessee, Memphis, then left to marry Rev. Jack Porter in 1956, a union of 64 years before Jack’s death in 2020. In her mid-thirties, Ruth went on to earn her LPN, also becoming a member of the Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi at the University of Tennessee Chapter in Knoxville, in 1976. Known for her calm demeanor, her love of children, and her ability to challenge others to successfully develop their potential, Ruth worked as Jack’s right hand woman throughout their ministry in United Methodist Church camps in Tennessee, Oregon, and North Carolina. Whether running the camp kitchen, acting as Camp Nurse, or taking on the role of Business Manager, a center of love and acceptance expanded from Ruth’s presence. A fall resulting in a broken arm brought Ruth from her current residence at Morning Pointe Assisted Living in Knoxville, Tennessee to rehab at NHC Fort Sanders. There, in spite of truly excellent skilled nursing care, several underlying health concerns multiplied quickly. Ruth left this world to join God and her beloved Jack, in glory, on July 23, 2024.

Ruth is survived by four children and their spouses, William Davidson Porter II (Judy), Peter Bennett Porter (Phyllis), Sarah Esther Bigelow (Jay), Deborah Helen Dickey (Mark), five grandchildren and their spouses, and seven great-grandchildren, brother Paul Anthony “Tony” Barker, Jr (Pam), and sister Martha Barker Davidson (John). Preceded in death by husband, the Rev. Jack Porter, and parents, the Rev. Paul A. Barker and Esther Temperley Barker. On July 27, 2024 a visitation was held at Biereley-Hale Funeral Home, Madisonville, TN, and a graveside service was held at the Hiwassee Community Cemetery, 225 Hiwassee Community Dr, Madisonville, TN 37354, presided by the Rev. Randy Tingle.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the charity of your choice or to the Porter Scholarship Fund for sending children and youth to camp. Please make checks payable to Holston Conference Camp and Retreat Ministries, and put Porter Scholarship Fund in the memo line. Please mail to Mary Thompson, CRM Executive Director, P.O. Box 850, Alcoa, TN 37701.