A loving mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, she combined a dry sense of humor—and at times a biting wit—with a warm heart, a strong faith, and an uncomplaining toughness that characterized her generation. She was much loved, and will be greatly missed by all who knew her.
Helen Regina Zimmermann was born in Seguin, Texas, on December 28, 1924, to Joseph F. Zimmermann, Sr. and the former Hedwig (“Hattie”) Wendel. A fourth generation Texan—her great-grandfather William Jacob Engbrock settled in Austin County a decade before the Civil War—she grew up in a tight-knit German Catholic family, with dozens of cousins spread across the southern half of the state. She graduated from Seguin High School in 1941, attended Texas Lutheran College, and worked as a teletypist for the U.S. Army Air Forces at Randolph Field during World War II. After the war, she moved to Houston and took a job with Shell Oil Company. She met her husband of over sixty years, Willard Wilson (“Will”) Porter, at a Shell company picnic in 1948. They were married a few months later, on January 22, 1949.
In 1956, Helen, Will, and their growing family moved six miles out Highway 90—now the Katy Freeway—to the newly-created City of Hedwig Village. They deliberately bought land in the Marian Oaks subdivision after Helen learned a new Catholic church and school would soon be established in the neighborhood. That church—St. Cecilia’s—became her spiritual home and social hub for the next 65 years. She served as president of the Altar and Rosary Society (now the Women’s Club)—and was later honored as one of its few “liftetime members”—chairwoman of the Home and School Association Civil Defense Committee during Hurricane Carla and the Cuban Missile Crisis, den mother for her sons’ Cub Scout groups, and for many years, organizer of the parish blood drive. Until COVID-19 made it impossible, she attended Mass every Sunday without fail, and often daily during Lent.
Following many vacations spent camping with their five children, Helen and Will bought the first of several motorhomes in 1979, after Will retired from Shell Oil. They spent the next 30 years traveling to every state (except Hawaii and Vermont) and much of Canada exploring the National Parks, visiting their grandchildren, and seeing things they never thought possible. When Will became too old to drive—at the age of 90—he let “Miz Port” take over the responsibility of driving the “coach” full time, and they continued their adventures for several more years until his death in 2011. They were enthusiastic members of the Family Motor Coach Association, the Foretravel Motorcade Club, and two local RV groups, the Texas Outlaws and the Stars of Texas.
Helen spent her final years surrounded by her family. She loved drinking coffee (one cup a day, often reheated several times to stay hot), watching the Astros, eating Mexican food (always with a frozen margarita), and seeing her grand and great-grandchildren, whether in person or on FaceTime.
She is survived by five children, including Linda Porter Bishop, of Oxford, Mississippi; Karen McQuilling and her husband Tom, of Houston; Rick Porter and his wife Shelly, of Houston; Joe Porter and his wife Julie, of Houston; and Bob Porter and his wife Susan, of Houston. She also leaves behind thirteen grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren: Christopher Bishop, his wife Amy Nicodemus, and their children Will, Caroline, and Eliot Bishop, of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada; Bradley Bishop and Lindsay Dillon-Maginnis, of Oxford, Mississippi; Kate Bishop, her husband John Martin, and their children Julian and Auggie Martin, of Oxford, Mississippi; Jennifer Bishop and her husband Alexi Hallak, of Doha, Qatar; Laura Hutcheson, her husband Chris, and their children Cooper, Porter, Jake, and Beau Hutcheson, of Houston; Jill Melancon, her husband Tanner, and their children Molly, Michael, and Charlie Melancon, of Houston; Stephen McQuilling and his wife Laurel, of Houston; Will Porter, his wife Jamie, and their son Henry Porter, of Houston; Ryan Porter, of Austin; Reagan Porter, of Houston; Ashley Taylor and her husband Travis, of Houston; Lauren Wright and her husband Brandon, of Houston; and Rachel Signorelli and her husband Fred, of Houston.
Helen was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph Zimmermann, Sr. and Hattie Wendel Zimmermann; her brother, Joseph Zimmermann, Jr.; her husband, Willard Wilson Porter; and her grandson, Michael McQuilling.
The family would like to thank Maria and Rosa for their kindness in caring for Helen over the past ten years, especially during her final illness.
A Visitation will be held on Monday, May 24, 2021, at St. Cecilia’s Catholic Church, 11720 Joan of Arc Drive, Houston, at 9:30 a.m, followed by a Funeral Mass at 10:30 a.m. Internment will be private at St. James’ Cemetery in Seguin.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the National Park Foundation, St. Cecilia’s Women’s Club, or St. Cecilia’s Catholic School in memory of Helen Zimmermann Porter.
Schlaf in himmlischer Ruh—Sleep in Heavenly Peace.
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