Barbara Lewis Lester was born on August 23, 1937 in Greenville, South Carolina. She passed away on December 10, 2015 and was predeceased by her daughter, Maurine Porter Furrer; her uncle, Meriwether Lewis and aunt, Maurine Lewis. She is survived by her son, Charles Porter; and her daughter, Meriwether Porter Kelly; her grandchildren, Chase Furrer (Little Rock, AK), Meriwether Grayson Kelly and Zach Sunderman; her cousin, Patricia Matzer and other nieces and nephews.
Barbara graduated from Landon High School in 1956, where she was a member of the Landon Lionettes and also a Majorette. In her senior year, Barbara was voted as “Most Fun To Be With”. Barbara was a proud member of All Saint Episcopal Church since 1960. When her children were young, she was responsible for forming a group at the church for young mothers, providing them a way to participate in Bible study during the week. Barbara began her real estate career in 1973 and became immediately successful. In 1974 she was recognized as Associate of the Year by the Jacksonville Association of REALTORS. She was a natural sales person – she was vibrant and energetic and she worked hard to make sure each of her clients found the home of their dreams. It was no surprise that she won the William Marvin White Award for seven straight years and the Stanley Norton Award eight times for both the highest number of sales and the highest sales volume of all real estate agents. However, there was much more to Barbara’s real estate career than listing and selling homes. Barbara received the Humanitarian of the Year award from the Jacksonville Association of REALTORS for her efforts to organize, collect and provide over 3,000 coats to the homeless. She started the “Oldies but Goodies” real estate social event, which still continues as a legacy to her. She was recognized for contributing numerous articles about real estate best practices to Florida REALTOR Magazine and she was an educational speaker for the National Association of REALTORS’ at one of their annual conventions, which had over 20,000 attendees from around the country. Barbara’s life was one of purpose and friendship. She continued to be active in her beloved real estate profession until her passing. She loved her family more than anything and she appreciated her many friendships formed throughout her lifetime. She will truly be missed by both family and friends.
A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, December 16, 2015 at eleven o’clock in the morning at The Oaklawn Chapel. 4801 San Jose Blvd., Jacksonville, FL. A reception will immediately follow the service. In lieu of flowers, Barbara requests that you remember the Shriners Hospital for Children (P.O. Box 1525, Ranson, WV 25438) or the Northeast Florida Assn. of REALTORS Charitable Foundation (7801 Deercreek Club Rd, Jacksonville, FL 32256).
HARDAGE-GIDDENS, THE OAKLAWN CHAPEL, 4801 San Jose Boulevard is serving the family.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18