Obituary
John Richard Porth passed peacefully with his wife, Leslie, by his side on August 20, 2024 following a seven-month journey with glioblastoma multiforme. During this illness, John, his family, and many who knew him had the opportunity to reflect and express our love. For that we are grateful.
When asked the most important things in life, John always answered ‘relationships and family’. John was a loving husband, father, and “Papi” who left a beautiful footprint on this earth. He served as a loving mentor to so many people he met. As John always said, “feel the love”.
John was born November 22, 1959 in Jefferson City, Missouri to Harold and Agnes Porth. John’s mother died when he was a child and thus he was raised by his loving father who served as John’s lifelong north star and role model.
As a child, John endured school but loved playing sports. Any sport, every season. He enjoyed the challenge of improving his skill and would give everything to good coaches and nothing to bad coaches. As an adult, he continued to play recreational softball to relax and recharge.
John was married to Leslie Letkowski in 1984 and they had the opportunity to cherish and celebrate 40 years of love, friendship, and partnership. John taught Leslie how to openly express love and find joy and laughter everyday. Together, they raised beautiful children, traveled, and supported each others’ careers. As a parent to Tyler Andrew and Mackenzie Riley, John taught them to dream big and be confident, while remaining humble. John now will share his love with Austen Riley, who died in infancy.
John cherished the responsibility of being a parent and loved supporting Tyler and Mackenzie as they discovered their passions. He shared with many the pure joy he experienced watching Mackenzie dance and participating in father/daughter dances. He also loved the role of ‘coach’ for so many children. During Mackenzie’s sports career, he encouraged the young girls to be gnats in basketball and to hug their friends from the other team as they ran around the bases. As coach to Tyler he mentored many young men in soccer, baseball, and basketball. John coached a competitive basketball team for five years with many boys participating all five years and earning 13th in the 2002 AAU Nationals. His style of coaching has been emulated by several of those young men who now are coaches themselves.
Despite his neutrality about school as a child, John sought formal education receiving a Bachelor’s in Business Administration and two Masters’ in Banking and Business Administration. His education and focus on relationships led him to a very successful career as Senior Vice President for Central Bank at Lake of the Ozarks in Missouri. Among his achievements, he was most proud of being a positive, supportive leader and making the first international Mastercard transaction on September 28, 1993.
In the community, John served many roles and was most proud of his time on the board of the Camdenton School Foundation. He valued the many relationships he established in his professional career and was proud he could serve as a mentor to many young professionals.
John and Leslie had the benefit of retiring in 2022 and relocating from their home state of Missouri to Durham, North Carolina. Although his retirement chapter was too brief, John and Leslie took full advantage of those two years. In Durham, John quickly established new friends and passions volunteering for a local bourbon distillery and the Durham Performing Arts Center. John and Leslie also spent more time traveling, hiking, and attending shows and festivals. In 2023, they snorkeled in the Great Barrier Reef and the Galapagos Islands; hiked Machu Picchu and Grandfather Mountain; and saw Queen perform in Madison Square Garden. John often expressed amazement that he had been blessed with so many opportunities in his life.
During his illness, John received exceptional care and treatment from the entire team at the Duke Cancer Center Brain Tumor Clinic. However, it was the care and compassion received from the team from Duke Homecare and Hospice that added quality and comfort to his life. John was grateful for his hospice care provided by Michael, Mark, Cheryl, Jamie, Amy, Caroline, and Carine. Thank you.
John leaves behind his best friend, wife, and life partner, Leslie; beautiful children and their families Tyler (Erika) and Mackenzie (Brett); and loving granddaughters Zahara, Willow, and Elora Porth. John was so looking forward to meeting Mackenzie’s firstborn and his first grandson in January. He also leaves his brother, Charles; brother-in-law, Barry; father-in-law, Stanley Letkowski; mother-in-law, Janet Letkowski; his amazing sister-in-law, Lynne Shea, and brother-in-law, Brett Letkowski (Karen). He loved his nephews and nieces Chris Southerlin (Gigi), Nicholas Shea, Logan Shea (Klarrisa), Kaitlyn Shea, Jack Letkowski, Paula Topping, Malachi Topping, Leslie Rangel, Danielle Rangel, and Kevin Porth.
John is preceded in death by his son, Austen Riley Porth; parents, Harold Victor and Agnes Porth; sister, Diane; brother-in-law, Michael Shea; and sister-in-law, Deborah Porth.
Memorial and internment services will be held at 10 a.m., Monday, September 9 at Bluestem Conservation Cemetery and a reception will follow. If you are able to join us, please complete this form for meal planning and additional communication.
In lieu of customary remembrances, we kindly request you make donations to either of the following:
Duke HomeCare & Hospice, 4321 Medical Park Drive, Suite 100, Durham, NC 27704, or our online giving site at https://www.givetodukeathome.org as a memorial to John Porth.
The Porth Family Memorial Fund at St. Philips Church in the Highlands . Contributions can be made online at https://onrealm.org/StPhilips1770/-/form/give/now (please select ‘John Porth Family Memorial Fund’ from the Fund dropdown options).
