Ellen Louise Porter... Age 95

Ellen Louise Porter of Osawatomie, Kan. – beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and aunt – died peacefully Feb. 3, 2023, at the remarkable age of 95.

Ellen was born Dec. 7, 1927, in the small town of Kanwaka, Kan., to Roger and Ruby (Herald) Schooley. Ellen and her older sister Arlene attended a two-room school in nearby Wilder and helped their parents run the local general store and filling station until the family moved to Baldwin City in 1938. Ellen attended Baker University, majoring in music and education; her first love was the organ, although at one point a professor tried to get her to dedicate herself to the violin because she was so talented on that instrument as well. She graduated in 1949 with a bachelor of arts degree with a specialization in music, and was a member of Zeta Tau Alpha sorority.

Her first teaching job was in Holton, Kan. where she juggled three schools – and not yet having a car, she walked between them during her lunch hour. She taught girls’ music and freshman English in high school and music in two grade schools. She was proud when she finally got her first car, a Chevy Business Coupe. It was brown, and cost $350. She was smitten with a black one, but it cost $500, and was out of reach.

In the summer of 1956, she met Reid Thomas Porter, her future husband, while both were working summer jobs at Troutdale in the Pines, a resort in Evergreen, Colo. He was a bartender there, and she was a cocktail waitress, one of only two waitresses old enough to serve alcohol. During the day, she’d practice her music on the ballroom piano, and Reid would occasionally close the bar to go listen to her. They dated all summer, swam in the resort pool when they weren’t working, and with their Troutdale staff friends would frequent the dining and dancing establishments in Evergreen on their nights off. Reid would often say, “I asked her to marry me every other day until she said yes.” One of the family’s favorite photos shows the two of them sitting in the sun on the steps of a Troutdale cabin that first summer. They set a wedding date for the following summer.

Ellen went home to Abilene to her teaching job, and she and Reid wrote letters all winter. They married on June 5, 1957, and would make their home in Denver, where Reid’s family lived. He was one of eight children – Rose Marie, Janice, Doris, George, Polly, Reid, Pete, and Carol – so there were many aunts, uncles, and cousins to keep track of. Ellen moved her teaching career to Denver; her first job there was at a school so large she would only take a certain staircase lest she get lost. Her favorite grade to teach was fifth grade, because she said they were right between being “nutty kids” and young adults, and because “they realized that life was coming on.”

In Denver, Ellen and Reid had three children: Diane, Eileen, and Vincent. In 1973, the family moved to Osawatomie to be closer to Ellen’s aging parents. Reid started Osawatomie TV, a television repair business, and Ellen spent many years teaching at the Osawatomie State Hospital helping patients earn their GEDs. She retired in 1992.

Ellen was an organist for churches in Baldwin City, in Denver, for St. Philip Neri in Osawatomie, and for the First Presbyterian Church in Osawatomie. Her monthly organ-piano duets with Jack Floyd were a congregation favorite; Jack sometimes made recordings of the two during their practice sessions, which were loud and lovely. They may have practiced more than they needed to, in all honesty, just because they loved playing so much.

Ellen’s homes reflected her loves: family, music, flowers, books, and animals. Family photographs lined the walls. The piano and organ had prime positions, and when she’d sit and play, Reid would often come in, sit down, and listen, as he had that first summer. There was often music on the stereo; the two loved classic musicals, such as My Fair Lady, Camelot, and the King and I; Frank Sinatra was a favorite as well. Later, Ellen’s huge CD collection spilled out of four or five shelves and CD holders.

Around all her homes, there were thriving flowerbeds, filled with roses, tulips, irises, peonies, lilac bushes, zinnias, and more; it was normal for there to be a constant explosion of color throughout spring and summer. She had a massive, old rose bush in the front of the family house at 910 Main for years until Reid let workers cut it down one day because it was in the way of a repair; she didn’t talk to him for three days afterward (which had never happened before, and never happened after).

There were always animals, mostly dogs and cats but also the occasional lizard or hamster. Many were brought home by one child or another, but all stayed and thrived as family members. Ellen did draw the line at letting the dogs on the furniture, but it was a line that all the children broke later in life with their own pets. Her last animals were two orange cats, both boys, Socks and Lil’ Bit (who was not little at all). People who walked by her house could often see the cats lounging in the front window. They will be cared for by family.

Ellen put up with and participated in the family’s Denver Broncos obsession, but her heart belonged to University of Kansas Jayhawks basketball. She celebrated and suffered when the team did; her children and grandchildren teased her about the number of KU shirts and sweatshirts she owned, and then bought her even more. She had KU art, Jayhawk rugs, NCAA basketball tournament posters, and numerous plush Jayhawks and figurines of various sizes. She reveled in the team’s national championships, especially the most recent in 2022. She even had a large, lighted wooden Jayhawk that she would hang on the front porch on game nights for many years. It surely helped the team’s win-loss record.

Ellen was an avid bike rider for many years; she and her sister made long treks, once in the mountains of Vermont and another along the Katy Trail across Missouri. She once bicycled across Kansas with four other teachers, getting sunburned on only their right arms, since they were cycling east for several days. For decades, she enjoyed swimming in the Osawatomie State Hospital swimming pool, a privilege that was allowed folks with arthritis or other therapeutic needs. The group that swam there two or three times a week became fast friends, and often did as much chatting as swimming. Not afraid of a challenge, Ellen tried skydiving at age 68, a fact that made her children both proud and terrified. She loved puzzles and crossword puzzles, and was a dedicated fan of the Osawatomie Library, especially after its recent renovation. She loved how light, bright, and comfortable it was to spend time browsing the shelves, or just sitting on one of the couches exploring the display books.

Ellen was preceded in death by her husband, Reid, in 1984. She is survived by daughters Diane Porter (John Triplett) and Eileen Inscore of Olathe, son Vincent Porter (Raelyn) of Osawatomie, former son-in-law Sam Inscore of Osawatomie, former daughter-in-law Traci Kuhn (Greg) of Olathe, grandchildren Jessica, Maya, Samantha Hanneman (Brett), Isayah, Katie, Reid, Jaxon, Kooper, and Trenton; great-grandchildren Tatum, Piper, and Madeleine; sister Arlene Kulp of Brush, Colo., nieces Linda and Susan Kulp, and nephew Larry Kulp.

Ellen was treasured by her family; and while 95 years is a long and good life, we all wanted more. We take comfort in the fact that she died on Reid’s birthday, so we know they are together again. The family plans a private barbecue (Ellen’s favorite, especially baby back ribs) to celebrate her life. A scholarship for education and music students is planned in her honor; those who wish to donate may send a check payable to USD 367 to Beth Stout-Rhine, Osawatomie High School, 1200 Trojan Drive, Osawatomie, Kan., 66064. Please write “Ellen Porter Scholarship Fund” in the note area.

Ellen will be deeply, deeply missed. Plant flowers. Play music. Go KU.