Obituary of Eleanor Rodd Porter

PORTER, Eleanor Rodd, wife of E.B. "Joe" Porter, passed away peacefully at her home in St. Petersburg on July 18, 2020, at age 95.  All of her children were at her bedside in the last days of her life.  Eleanor was born in St. Petersburg on January 26, 1925, the only child of Herbert David "Roddy" and Josephine Pressly Rodd.  She grew up in the halcyon days of St. Petersburg where her father operated the City Fuel Oil company.  She would spend summers with her family in Lincolnton, NC where they maintained her mother's ancestral home on Main Street. 

She attended St. Petersburg High School, spent two years at Salem College, and then transferred to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she earned her degree in English.  There, she met her future husband Joe Porter at a dance.  She and Joe were married in St. Petersburg in 1948. 

Eleanor was a loving and devoted mother, raising her five children at her home in the St. Petersburg Allendale neighborhood.   She and Joe loved to travel with their children in their early years.  They remember several epic car trips across the country and out West seeing many national parks including Yosemite, Yellowstone, Grand Canyon, and the Grand Tetons. 

Eleanor was an active member of the Garden and Yacht Clubs and would host frequent bridge parties at her home.  

Sadly, she lost her eldest son Edward to hepatitis in 2002 and Joe passed away in 2013.    But Eleanor is especially remembered for her indefatigable cheer and optimism, often responding with the simple comment "wonderful."    Throughout her life, she brought joy to everyone around her and was cherished by her family until her last day.    She is survived by her four children, Mark, Lindsey, Claire, and Marion; and five grandchildren, Ross, Davis, Mitchell, Braden, and Kendall. 

The family is holding a visitation between 5 and 7pm on Friday, July 24th at the Anderson-McQueen funeral home at 2201 Dr. M.L. King Street North, St. Petersburg.  Graveside service will be held at 10am the following morning at Memorial Park Cemetery, 5750 49th Street N, St. Petersburg.