Mary E. Porter

Maria Elena Ruiz-Porter passed away at the age of 82 in her Washington, UT home on July 23, 2019. Her loved ones and friends know her by many names. Her public documents refer to her as Mary Ellen, but she is commonly called Jeri by all her friends and surviving husband. She was also lovingly known as Neni or Tia Nena. Her surviving six grandchildren know her proudly as their Nana.
Born in Cheyenne, WY on June 12, 1937 she was the youngest sibling of seven children in the Ruiz Family. She is preceded in death by her parents Ernesto Alveraz Ruiz and Josefina Hernandez Ruiz, also by all her siblings: Cleo Romero, Rose Martinez, Tony Ruiz, Ernest Ruiz, Jr. (T.T.), Vicente Jose (Chente), and Josephine Barbo. Her family was raised in Cheyenne with her parents strong faith with the Assembly of God Church.
Jeri met her husband Gary Porter while she was working at the commissary of Warren Air force Base in Cheyenne. They were soon married in the Cheyenne Assembly of God Church on December 17, 1960 and enjoyed 59 years of marriage. In 1967 after having 3 children,(Greg, Denise & Suzette)in Cheyenne they moved to Rapid City and Minot while Gary worked for Boeing. Gary switched jobs from Boeing to General Motors Finance which took the family back to Cheyenne, then Scottsbluff and finally, in 1974 to Denver where she raised her children through to college. When her children reached high school age she started working nights as a bank processor for the United Bank of Denver. She was proud of her supervisor position she easily attained and made lifelong friends working there, also helping out with her childrens’ college expenses. Gary was then transferred to Sacramento so she retired from banking and moved with him to California. They both later built their retirement home in the St. George, Utah area of Washington.
She spent her retirement as a proud and devoted Nana to her loving grandchildren. She loved to quilt and sew, also enjoyed scrapbooking as well as gardening. Our mother, Nana, Tia and friend loved us dearly and she was unfailing in letting us know how proud she was of us all.
She was survived by her husband Gary Leland Porter and her children and grandchildren as follows:
Greg and Lela Porter of Denver, CO, their children Cayla, Dakota, Tanner and Austin. Denise (Porter) and Marty Brooks of Las Vegas, NV their children Bryce and Tyler. Suzette (Porter) and Monte Baasch of Grosse Pointe, MI their children Shea and Macy.
Her services will be Friday 2:00 pm at Wiederspahn-Radomsky Chapel of the Chimes 1900 East 19th St Cheyenne, WY with internment to follow at Cheyenne Memorial Gardens.