Thomas L. Porter's Obituary
Thomas L. Porter, 71, of La Mesa. CA passed away on October 17, 2018, with his family by his side.Tom was born in San Diego to Robert and Jesse Porter. He was raised in La Mesa and graduated from Helix High School. He received a 4 year scholarship from San Diego Gas and Electric and attended San Diego State University graduating with a BS in Finance. He went on to complete his graduate work at the Columbia School of Business in New York, NY, receiving a MBA in Management.After graduation Tom was hired by IBM in Armonk, New York but was soon drafted into the Army. He was assigned to the Procurement Office, Ft. Huachuca, AZ, and performed complex cost analysis on a multi-million dollar contract with the South Vietnamese government. He received the US Army Commendation Medal for his exemplary contributions to the negotiations of the contract.He returned to IBM in Franklin Lakes, NJ where he enjoyed 20 successful years with IBM. After leaving IBM Tom had the opportunity to focus on the medical industry. He worked as a financial executive for McKesson, Medaphis, and Kaiser.He touched the lives of many passing along a wealth of knowledge to his loved ones. He had a tremendous love for sports. When he wasn’t taking care of his yard (one of his favorite pastime) you would find him watching sports with his loved ones.Family, knowledge, data, interactions and sports would always put a smile on his face. If there is one thing he loved to do was smile and laugh. If you knew him, then without a doubt, you heard him say the words, “keep smiling”. We will always remember Thomas L. Porter with a smile on his face encouraging everyone around him to do the same.He is survived by his sons Adam and Brad, grandchildren Ethan and Vaughn, nieces Jennifer Lind, Julie Rose and nephew Jeff Burns. He is predeceased by his parents, Robert and Jesse, and brother, Doyne Edward Burns.A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm on December 8, 2018, at Greenwood Memorial Park, San Diego.In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Tom may be made to the Alzheimer Organization.
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