Ouida Jenette Ports

On Thursday, March 28, 2019, Ouida Jenette Ports, beloved mother of four, grandmother of three, and great grandmother of two, passed away at the age of 90. Jenette was born in the Texas Panhandle town of Shamrock, on May 19, 1928, the only daughter of Allan Baxter Blake and Thelma Riley. She moved with her mother to Virginia as a child, later relocating to the Pimlico neighborhood of Baltimore, Maryland. A 1946 graduate of Western High School’s A Course, Jenette soon married the love of her life, Charles Clayton Ports, and in 1956, they settled down and raised their family of four children in Owings Mills, Baltimore County. Charlie and Jenette were married for 53 years, until he died in June 2001. Jenette’s generous, joyful, and gracious spirit touched so many. Her commitment to service was evident in her decades of PTA involvement, support of her children’s scouting, and especially in her work for the Reisterstown United Methodist Church, where she taught Sunday School and Vacation Bible School, founded the Church Library, and participated in the J.O.Y. and United Methodist Women. An avid gardener and nature lover, Jenette tended amazing flower and vegetable gardens, bird watched, and taught her children to love camping, hiking, and all natural beauty. She was known by friends and family as a wonderful cook and “the hostess with the mostest.” Jenette was a huge Orioles baseball fan, an insatiable reader, as well as a lover of travel, music, and theatre. Very patriotic and politically engaged, she was a lifelong student of history and current events. Jenette recited poetry from memory, could sing the words to almost any popular American song on cue, and loved dancing to big band music with her husband, Charlie. Jenette is survived by her sister, Dianne Allen of Reisterstown, MD; her son, Michael A. Ports, of Jacksonville, FL; her daughter and son in law, Terry and Robert Whye, of Finksburg, MD; her daughter and son in law, Kelley and Don Gordon, of Hampstead, MD; her daughter and son in law, Kim and Doug Parsons, of Etlan, VA; granddaughter and grandson in law, Carver and Brian Pugh, of Ellicott City, MD; granddaughter and grandson in law, Lorien and Rob Kirsch, of Gamber, MD; granddaughter Allison Gordon, of Westminster, MD; great granddaughter Carlee Pugh; and great-grandson Rhett Kirsch. A memorial service and celebration of her life will be held at 12:00 noon, on Friday, May 3, 2019, at Reisterstown United Methodist Church, 246 Main St., Reisterstown, MD 21136. In lieu of flowers, donations would be gratefully received in her memory; three of Jenette’s most cherished organizations are Maryland Public Television, the National Audobon Society, and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.