02/26/2026
James Winfred Porter
James Winfred “Jimmy” Porter, age 100, passed away peacefully on February 25, 2026. He was born on November 15, 1925, to the late John Robert Porter and Kittly Florence Brown Porter.
Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, February 27, 2026, at Houston Funeral Home with Robert Cliett officiating. Visitation will begin at 12:00 noon and continue until the time of service. Burial will follow at Chickasaw Memorial Gardens. Houston Funeral Home is honored to serve the family. Ryan Puckett, Brayden Cliett, James Cliett, Jason Porter and Chris Ellison will be serving as pallbearers.
Immediately following his high school graduation, Jimmy answered his country’s call to serve. He was sworn into the United States Navy on May 17, 1944. After completing nine weeks of boot camp at Camp Wallace, Texas, he was sent to Rhode Island for advanced training before being assigned to the USS Panamint, Amphibious Force Flagship 13, where he reported aboard on October 13, 1944.
During his military service, Jimmy and his ship traveled down the East Coast, through the Panama Canal, and on to Vallejo, California, for combat preparation before deploying to the Hawaiian Islands. The USS Panamint was actively engaged at Ie Shima and Okinawa for 76 days during some of the fiercest fighting of World War II. Throughout the conflict, the ship successfully evaded bombs, torpedoes, kamikaze attacks, and su***de boats without loss of life among the crew.
Jimmy’s service also took him to Ulithi, Guadalcanal, Adak, Kodiak, and Juneau, Alaska. Following Japan’s surrender, the crew inspected Japanese harbors to determine their safety for Allied entry before traveling to Shanghai and eventually returning home. During his time in the Navy, he traveled more than 30,000 miles across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, the Caribbean, Coral Sea, East China Sea, Japan Sea, and the Bering Sea—crossing the Equator and International Date Line multiple times.
While aboard ship, Jimmy served as the ship’s mailman and also manned guns in defense of the vessel. In recognition of his faithful and courageous service, he was awarded the Victory Medal, American Area Ribbon, and the Asiatic-Pacific Area Ribbon with Star.
The USS Panamint was considered a “Lucky Ship,” even though some might have thought it had an ominous beginning. The Panamint’s number was 13, it was scheduled for commission on Friday the 13th, and its pre-commission office was located at 1300 Park Avenue in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Jimmy was married to the love of his life, Jean Vaughn Porter, for over 69 years until her passing in 2019. He is survived by two children, Donna Cliett and Barry (Debbie) Porter; grandchildren, Jason Porter, Michael Porter, Rachel Puckett (Ryan), James Cliett (Diana), Robert Cliett (Hannah), and Allena Sanders (Travis); great-grandchildren, Brianna, Brayden, Emma, Kristen, Levi, Jase, Jake, Nolan and River; and one great-great-grandchild, Unity; and a sister Harriet Nichols.
He is preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Jean, his son in law, Ben Cliett and his siblings.
Jimmy’s century-long life was marked by devotion—to his country, to his family, and to the values of honor, faithfulness, and perseverance. He will be deeply missed and lovingly remembered by all who knew him.
In Lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to:
Enon Primitive Baptist church cemetery fund
View James Winfred Porter's obituary, send flowers, find service dates, and sign the guestbook.