Feriba Francille Porter's Obituary
Feriba Francille Porter, 91, of Arlington, passed away Jan.1, 2018, in the loving care of hospice, after a sudden massive stroke on Dec. 22, 2017. A service will be held in Wildwood Chapel at Restland in Dallas, on Wed. Jan. 10, 2018 at 3 PM.Feriba was born on Sept. 16, 1926, and grew up in Texarkana, TX. Born to James and Katherine Lovett, she was the youngest daughter of four. The bond between the Lovett sisters was lifelong and profound.They loved each other beyond measure and because she was the baby of the family, Feriba was treasured and doted upon by her sisters her whole life. From a very young age, she was creative and loved to sew and design her dolls clothes, draw and dance. She graduated from Tyler High School in 1944. She worked at a variety of places in a secretarial/receptionist capacity before retiring. Some of her favorite things to do after she retired were sewing, knitting, reading and traveling. In later years, when she traveled, she went to Europe numerous times with her sisters and to Ireland, Russia, and Ukraine with her husband Phil. She and her sisters were very devoted to one another and remained active until their decline. They cared for their parents until their deaths and each other throughout their aging years.As a wife, Fran was by Phil’s side for 60+ years and she was so proud of him and his many accomplishments both at work and in the community. They met at a dance in Dallas, in 1957 and it was love at first sight. They married 6 months later and moved to Arlington in 1958. They attended First United Methodist Church in Arlington and were longtime members of the Adult Bible Class.She was the quintessential mother of her children, Sylvia and Paul. Always concerned for their safety and well-being, she put her family’s health and happiness before her own. From piano and dance recitals to soccer and baseball games, she was always present and enthusiastically cheering them on.Throughout her life, she was a gentle, loving, and inquisitive, gracious, patient, caring, soul who no matter the circumstance or situation remained true to herself and never wavered in her belief or faith in God. She was everything good and pure, sweet and kind, never resentful or harsh. No matter the amount of pain or sorrow, the disappointment or unhappiness she might have felt, she made the best of it and never complained. Every kiss, every hug, every smile and word of encouragement will be forever treasured by her family.She is preceded in death, by her parents, James and Katherine Lovett, her precious sisters, Elizabeth, Katherine, and Durelle, as well as her infant daughter, Ellowyn.Survivors include her loving husband Phil, daughter Sylvia Gaines and her husband Kip, son Paul Porter and his wife Cathy, step-son Phil Porter, Jr. and his wife Vicki, grandson, Chris Porter, his wife Heather and their children Emma and Wyatt, and grandson, Scott Porter. In addition, her nieces Katherine Rockwell and Judith Foster and her children.In lieu of flowers, her family asks that donations be made to the Alzheimer’s Assoc.
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