Trending
Joseph Patrick "PORP" Porpotage, 67, of Lewistown, entered his new life, free of pain and suffering, full of peace and love, at 6:38 p.m., on Dec. 16, surrounded by family and friends, with his sister Mary Lou holding his hand.
A few months ago, in the midst of his infectious illnesses, Joe had expressed to her, "I hope you are here to hold my hand when I die." A prayer answered.
Joe was born on April 22, 1958, in Lewistown, the son of the late Michael J. and Kathryn Z. Porpotage.
The first 36 years of Joe's life were blessed with much joy, laughter, and athletics. Although Joe was adept in many areas, he loved working with his dad, who had established Mike's Insulation Service in 1965. When Dad was no longer able to work, Joe became the owner and operator of the business he loved and made many lasting friendships with his customers. Like his father, he was well-respected for his integrity, honesty, and commitment to doing the best job possible.
When not at work, Joe could be found at the Burnham YMCA bench-pressing or playing basketball; at the Lewistown Country Club golfing or running the pro-shop; on Parcheytown Road jogging along Kish Creek, or at Kish Park playing slow-pitch softball, where, as one of his fellow team players remarked, "No one could hit a ball that Joe would miss."
Joe graduated from Chief Logan High School in 1976, with much success on the golf team, having shot scores as low as 69. He also was a respectable basketball player during his high school years and often credited his golf coach, the late Ken Hidlay, and his basketball coach, Stan Stuck, for teaching him so much more than the sports they coached. His Little League baseball coach, the late George Burdick, had become a lifelong friend, and they enjoyed the visits they had with each other over the years after Joe suffered a TBI in 1994, which caused paralysis on his left side and other physical disabilities.
As a child and teenager, Joe played a little football with his neighborhood buddies, but he was more interested in watching his favorite NFL team, the Green Bay Packers, win their games. At the age of four, Joe became an avid Packers fan.
The self-motivation that Joe had had in sports manifested itself into beating the paralysis he had suffered at the age of 36. He experienced biofeedback therapy at Miami University with Dr. Bernard Brucker for six weeks in 1998. Joe returned with renewed hope and conviction. He worked harder and harder, "walked" more and more, but never regained functional use of his left side. While he experienced a sense of hopelessness from time to time, and some severe depression and anxiety at times, he provided an inspiration to many others who had found themselves in seemingly hopeless situations. Countless friends and acquaintances thanked him for giving them hope and leading them away from the depths of depression and anxiety, even as recently as the last months of his life.
Joe was a kind, gentle, loving person who would have done anything he could to help others. His friends represented a diversity of age, profession, nationality, race, sexual orientation, and religion. He loved people for who they are and honored the differences among them, because he knew God created each and every one of us, that we are equal in Christ. Joe got along with everyone, but once in a while, when he encountered someone who was bullying a person who was "different," he found a way to stop the bullying. He was able to influence people to be better people, to be kinder to others.
In addition to Joe's parents, he was preceded in death by his sister, Rita Norbury, who in 1996, when Joe was completely bedridden, took him to her home in Oklahoma and provided him the opportunity for rehabilitation at various rehab hospitals. Joe returned in May 1997, able to "walk" onto the field at Indian Valley High School, using only his right hand on the shoulder of his sister Mary Lou Sigler, to attend the graduation of her son, his nephew Zac Sigler.
In addition to Mary Lou and Zac, Joe is survived by his brother, Michael M. Porpotage and wife, Dee; his nephews, John Norbury and son Rhett; Robert Porpotage and wife Linda; and James "Jake" Norbury, wife Alisa, and son Michael J; and his niece, Jennifer Norbury Culley and husband Roy; Jennifer's son Tyler, daughter Jorie, and grandsons Carter and Casen; several cousins; and a very helpful and loyal friend, Frank Hoover.
Joe leaves behind many other lifelong friends, especially Mike Britt, Jim Crimmel, Mark Williams, Bob Richard, Wayne Hower, and John Benny, some of whom will serve as Joe's pallbearers. Also mourning the loss of Joe are direct care workers who had worked for Joe more than 30 years between the two of them: Tiffany Stains and Nicole Hackett-Trammel--as well as Bonnie Geesey and Sue Stahlman. Several of the staff at William Penn Nursing Care and Rehabilitation Center and many of the residents who cheered Joe on as he, without help, took his 2,547 wheelchair rides through the hallways, greeting people with a smile and perhaps a joke along the way, will miss his sense of humor and kind words.
Joe's faith in the Lord and the power of his sense of humor got him through the most difficult of times during the last 31 plus years. Joe had always prayed for complete healing. He was never a "that's good enough" person. He was a perfectionist in his work and in sports and at times questioned why God, in all of His Almightiness, would not heal his paralysis completely, especially when Joe had worked so hard for three decades to "get his life back."
However, in his final weeks, Joe came to realize that God would make all things right, that God would heal him completely, perhaps not in this life, but most certainly in the next.
Per Joe's wishes, a viewing will be held at King-Barr Funeral Home, 120 Logan Street, Lewistown, from 6 to 8 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 21, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at Sacred Heart of Jesus Roman Catholic Church, 3rd and Dorcas Streets, Lewistown, on Monday, Dec. 22, at 11:00 am. Interment will be at Birch Hill Cemetery, Burnham.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place Memphis, TN 38105; to The St. Vincent de Paul Society, 3 W Monument Sq Ste 203 Lewistown, PA 17044; or to the charity of one's choice.
Online condolence can be shared at www.kingbarrfuneralhome.com.