WACO, Texas (ABP) — Fran Porter, whose battle with a rare neurological disease was detailed in a recent Associated Baptist Press story, died Oct. 10. She was 74.
Born in Dallas, Texas, Porter grew up in Tulsa, Okla. She attended Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, and was ordained to the ministry in 1995 by Calvary Baptist Church in Waco, Texas.
After working as a chaplain at St. John's Hospital in Forth Worth, Porter worked at Calvary Baptist until she was diagnosed with progressive supranuclear palsy in 2004. The degenerative brain disease affects roughly 19,000 people nationwide.
Porter's husband, Nathan, was employed for 30 years by the Southern Baptist Convention's Home Mission Board, now called the North American Mission Board. His request for more funding from the mission board's insurance provider, also noted in the June ABP article, led to an anonymous gift of $5,000 to help pay for Porter's medical expenses. The donation was facilitated through Calvary Baptist Church.
Marty King, a spokesperson for NAMB, said the Porters were faithful home missionaries for many years. “Southern Baptists are thankful for their service,” he said, adding, “The North American Mission Board family joins the convention in praying for Dr. Porter and his family as they deal with Mrs. Porter's passing.”
Porter is survived by her husband of 54 years; daughters Becca Hollaway and Leslie Porter Smith; son, Joel Porter; and sister, Jean Booth Foor.
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