| Graduation Year | Class of 1960 |
| Date of Birth | Jun 06, 1942 |
| Date of Passing | Jan 16, 2021 |
| About | Pamela Jo (Darbon) Porterfield Born June 6,1942, in Lansing, Michigan to Neil Melvin Darbon and Marjorie Marion (Lawrence) Darbon. Arrived in heaven January 16, 2021. Preceded in death by her parents and brother, Gregory Neil Darbon, whom she loved fiercely. Married the love of her life, Billie Lee Porterfield, on November 30, 1963 and gave birth to their daughter, Melisa Marie, on April 23, 1965. Pam will be lovingly remembered by her husband, Bill; daughter, Melisa Porterfield; grandson, Colter Sutton; nieces, Amanda (Darbon) Bradley and Elizabeth Darbon; grandnieces, Halen Massengale and Karley Gotcher; grandnephew, EJ; uncle, Keith Lawrence; as well as several cousins and many dear friends. She started elementary school in East Lansing, then her family moved to Haslett. When she was in 3rd grade, a cute little boy moved in across the street. Playing it cool, Pam patiently waited for him to take notice of her. She did finally tip her hand one day when he was outside working on his car: 15-year-old Pam told her Grandmother Flo, “Grandma, you see that boy down there? I’m gonna’ marry him some day, he just doesn’t know it yet.” What Pam didn’t know was that he had already noticed her as she practiced twirling baton in her front yard, but also playing it cool, he didn’t let her know right away. In high school, Pam loved to attend dances and became the Haslett High School Drum Majorette. She and that boy down the street gradually became best friends during high school and dated occasionally, but both continued playing it cool for a few more years. After high school, Pam attended the Professional Business Institute in Minneapolis, earning her Medical Assistant Certificate. Returning to Lansing, she worked as a medical assistant for a time, then went to work in the office at Spartan Asphalt, where coincidentally, that handsome neighbor guy’s mother also worked. At long last the universe (or maybe his mother?) played matchmaker and Bill Porterfield finally proposed to Pamela Jo Darbon while he was stationed at the US Air Force base in Blytheville, Arkansas. They were married at St. Thomas Aquinas Church in East Lansing and lived in Blytheville for the first few years of their marriage. Daughter Missy was born in 1965. After getting out of the service, the little family returned to Michigan just in time for the blizzard of ‘67! Pam worked at Michigan Bell as a telephone operator, then a customer service supervisor while Bill earned his engineering degree from Michigan State University. Once he went to work at Oldsmobile, Pam stayed home to raise Missy and volunteered often at her school. Pam was a very cool mom and Missy was always proud to show her off at school. Mother and daughter have always shared a special bond, relying on each other through thick and thin, laughs and tears. As a stay-at-home-mom, Pam was very outgoing and energetic with many hobbies including gardening, decorating, antiquing, furniture restoration, oil painting, ceramics, stained glass, tennis, bowling, racquetball, and golf. She even found time for a part-time career as a Fashion Two Twenty sales consultant. Pam fearlessly tackled home repairs and wielded outdoor power equipment that dwarfed her petite size. She used to say she was a “jack-of-all-trades and master of none” – but she actually did master just about anything she put her mind to. Throughout the 1970’s and early 80’s, the couple campaigned several of Bill’s drag race cars and custom hot rods. Pam ran Bill’s Mid-Engineering, Inc chassis business from the couple’s home from 1979 to 1987 (and she continued participating in racing events and car shows with Bill right up through 2019). In 1983 they moved to their first dream home, a Victorian farmhouse on Airport Road, where Pam served as project engineer during its restoration, then decorated it beautifully with antiques. She was a Watertown Township Trustee for several years where her tenacity served her well as she worked tirelessly to protect natural resources and advocate in the best interests of all community members. Pam’s next job began in 1993 when another cute little boy came along – her beloved grandson, Colter Sutton. Excited to finally become “Nana,” she helped raise Colter into a kind young man and the two share a very special relationship. In 2000 Pam and Bill built their forever home in Williamston where they have plenty of space for all of their “toys” and Pam planted a lovely flower garden. Being so close to her old home town, Pam reconnected with many of her high school friends and enjoyed several class reunions, annual summer class parties and monthly brunches with her close girlfriends. The couple always enjoyed travelling. They went on many tropical cruises, cross-country road trips, and vacationed in their travel trailer. Favorite camping spots included Florida, Arizona, Drummond Island and Petoskey. Missy and Colter spent lots of time with them on Drummond Island and in Petoskey. Many belly-laughs and priceless memories resulted from their adventures exploring, bicycling, antiquing, and rock hunting (Petoskey stones were Pam’s favorites!). After a 13-year battle against Alzheimer’s disease, and with her small family at her side, Pam went peacefully to be with the Lord on January 16, 2021. She will forever be Bill’s “Sweet Thing,” and he will forever be “The Love of Her Life and Man of Her Dreams.” A funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, January 26, 2021 at St. Thomas Aquinas Church, 955 Alton Road, East Lansing. Visitation will precede the Mass from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the church (capacity is not expected to be an issue as there is plenty of room for social distancing inside the church, however masks must be worn). Following the Mass, interment will take place at Evergreen Cemetery, 2600 East Mt. Hope Avenue, Lansing. The family is being served by Gorsline Runciman East Lansing. Please go to www.greastlansing.com to view obituary and photos. For those interested, donations to the Alzheimer’s Association would be a beautiful way to honor Pam. |
