Thomas Lee Porter Sr.

Elder Thomas Lee Porter, Sr. was born Sunday April 26, 1942 in Henry County Tennessee to Prentice and Samantha Porter. He was blessed to have eight sisters and three brothers. Elder Porter received his education in the Henry County school system where he graduated from Central High School Paris, Tennessee in May 1960.

Wanting to find more opportunities for employment he followed the lead of his siblings and relocated to Indianapolis, Indiana. During his search for work many employers were reluctant to hire employees who had not already fulfilled their military obligations, noting that after training he could be drafted or deployed for military duty. With that in mind Elder Porter enlisted in the United States Air Force. He trained at Fort Benjamin Harrison as a Postal Specialist, he would later serve in Okinawa, Japan and in Germany.

With his military obligation fulfilled he returned home with an Honorable Discharge and was able to obtain employment at Allison Transmission on February 14, 1966 where he successfully completed a Millwright Apprenticeship Program. As part of his training he learned all areas related to skilled - tradesmanship. In his job as a millwright in Allison's factory environment his daily work efforts would include: maintenance and repair of equipment, dismantling and reassembly of machinery, and relocation of machinery. Elder Porter worked at Allison Transmission until February 1, 1993 retiring after 25 years.

He later chose to go back to work and found employment at Navistar International in the same position. Those acquainted with Elder Porter in the workplace knew that HE LOVED TO WORK. After 10 years of employment with Navistar Elder Porter fully retired from the factory work environment, however he continued work in various capacities until the summer of 2019.

In the late 1960's Elder Porter attended Christ Temple Apostolic Church where he obeyed the call of the Lord and received the Holy Ghost. While a member at Christ Temple he met the love of his life Daisy M. (Smith), they would be married on June 29, 1968.

Elder Porter was an avid reader of the Word of God and had a passion for teaching. While at Christ Temple he served as a deacon, Sunday school teacher, an usher, was part of the security team, and worked with the bus ministry. To further his quest for biblical knowledge Elder Porter enrolled in Aenon Bible College where he received an Associate of Theology degree in August of 1994. A short while afterwards he was ordained as an Elder with the Apostolic Bible Student Association (ABSA).

In April 2001 Elder Porter became a dedicated charter member of New Wineskin Ministries (NWM) where he remained until his passing. During his time at NWM he volunteered in many capacities including Sunday School teacher, Council of Elders member, finance committee member, Bible Study teacher and food pantry worker. He was a man of great faith and could regularly be found at the church praying before sunrise. When asked a few days before his passing to highlight his favorite scripture, his response was "All of Them".

Aside from work and ministry, he spent his time caring for and support­ing his family. He understood the importance of education and worked tirelessly to help his children reach their educational goals. Even with his busy work and ministry schedule, he always made time for travel with family. As a family there were many memorable trips and vacations, times of laughter and joke telling. During his retirement years he and his wife also made time to travel together. Some of their most memorable trips include a cross-country drive, a cruise to Alaska, trips to: Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand, and two trips to Israel.

Elder Porter was preceded in death by his parents Prentice and Samantha, one brother (Odell Porter), 3 sisters (Clara King, Arnell Hillard, Thelma Terrell).

He will be missed by all who loved him, including: his Loving Wife (Doll Face) of 53 years Daisy M. Porter, children: Kenneth (Audrey), Thomas Jr., Anitra (Andre) Falls, Princeton (Shaquana), Elden (Taquoya), Erland (Lavonda), and 10 grandchildren. Two brothers, Cevell, Ellison (Jothenia), five sister, Jennie (Forest) Bostic, Hattie Taylor, Shirley Buggs, Bernice (Brooks) Gamble, Veronica Lane.