John Cheairs Porter – our dear friend, devoted husband, loving father, grandfather, businessman and Renaissance Man – died on Thursday, October 31, 2024, at his home in Richmond, Virginia.
John was born on June 25, 1938, in Columbia, Tennessee to Cheairs Mayes and Lillian McGavock Porter, who – along with his wife Ruth Robbins “Gerrie” and brother Charles McGavock “Mac” – predeceased him. He is survived by his two sons, John Cheairs Porter, Jr. (Sarah) of Richmond, VA and Edward Robbins Porter (Dee) of Vancouver, B.C.; five grandchildren, John Cheairs Porter, III (Jack), William Dunbar Porter, Lillian Mayes Porter, Otey Daniel Porter and Mayes Malinsky Porter. He is also survived by his sisters-in-law: Douglass Porter of Montgomery, AL and her sons Chilton, John and Cheairs; and Katherine Kingsland of Washington, DC and her sons Ben and Sam.
John grew up in Columbia on a farm on Bear Creek. His family roots grew deeper to south Georgia where he cherished time spent with cousins in Thomasville. John’s remarkable life – in many ways – always traces a thread back to the most admirable qualities of that farm boy. John was always grounded and present, knowing “who he was and where he came from.”
John attended Riverside Elementary and graduated Central High School. He excelled in academic pursuits, earning a scholarship to study at the University of Tennessee and on to Cal Tech for graduate studies in chemical engineering. Along the way, several work-study opportunities sparked a life-long passion and appreciation for travel, foreign cultures and general reverence for diversity that defined his open-mindedness. He was always curious.
His career as a chemical engineer took him around the globe selling detergent technologies to developing countries. He honed his skill as “an engineer’s engineer”: John was able to bring remarkable foresight, communicate to build consensus and carry out well-considered plans, a quality that was ever-present in his business, civic and personal endeavors. And as fate would have it, the job at Monsanto was based in St. Louis where he made a group of lifelong friends and met Gerrie Robbins.
After 10+ years with Monsanto, John made the career and life jump… He and Gerrie were married on February 13, 1971 and began their life together, raising their family in Columbia.
John was a leader in the Columbia community: Beyond his business partnership at Porter-Walker, Ace Hardware and Paper Pulleys, Inc., he was an active parishioner, senior warden and long-serving member of the vestry at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, was elected to City Council, played baritone as part of the Maury County Community Band, sat on the Board of the Boys & Girls Club and found plenty of time for the things he loved most: Quality time with family, friends and bird dogs. His woodshop was a place of ingenuity, wonder and creativity.
When he retired from Porter-Walker in 2001, John purchased Fishtrap Farm on the Duck River in Williamsport (from Otey and Martha Porter). Over nearly a decade, he renovated the farmhouse, restored wildlife habitat and partnered with the Land Trust for Tennessee to put a conservation easement on the property, preserving this piece of Porter family land in perpetuity.
When his first grandchild – JCP III – was born in 2009, he and Gerrie moved to Richmond, Virginia to be “closer to the action.” He lived the last years of life in Richmond – and a few last adventures – in service to Gerrie, as a loving “Papa” to his grandchildren, in generosity to family and friends, and in brightening the lives of those in Virginia who were lucky enough to get to know him. He always missed Tennessee, and always looked forward to his return to Columbia.
Visitation will be held Wednesday, November 6th in the Parish Hall at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church from 3-5pm. Graveside services will be held on Thursday, November 7th at St. John’s Cemetery at 10am. As plans are still in progress, please confirm with the websites of St. Peters and Oakes and Nichols Funeral Home for specific times.[EP1]
Memorials can be made to: St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, 311 W. Seventh Street, Columbia, TN 38401, or St. John’s Church, c/o St. Peter’s.
