In Remembrance

Jim Porter, 68, died June 29, 2021, at Solvay Hospice House in Duluth. He was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in December 2019 and spent the next 18 months living as best he could while undergoing chemo and radiation treatments. He faced his cancer diagnosis head-on and said from the start that quality of life was more important than quantity.

Jim was born October 21, 1952, to Glenn and Lela Porter in Detroit, Michigan, and grew up in Clinton Township near Mt. Clemens. In the early 1970s he moved to Cook, Minnesota. He married Sue Kontio in 1975 and they later moved to Markham, Minnesota, where they raised their sons Jace and Jesse.

Jim was an avid motorcyclist and it was no secret that he liked riding fast. After a few years of spectating at motorcycle races at Brainerd Raceway he started helping friends at the track and once Jace started racing, Jim was all in. He eventually got his own race license at age 51. Jim (also known as Evil Santa) always loved race weekends and made many lasting friendships during those times. Later he added dirt bikes to the garage and also picked up a few new friends.

Jim also rode hard on snowmobile, putting many miles on his “one ton” when he and Sue lived on Marble Lake near Two Harbors. Jim embraced his 15 minutes of fame as Old Man Winter in an Arctic Cat photo shoot in 2009, and in 2012 he and his sled appeared briefly in a Yamaha snowmobile video. He didn’t mind his moments in the spotlight.

Jim always claimed to be a hermit, but his family knows better. He enjoyed socializing and he had a lot of stories to tell. He loved to cook, and he also loved to feed family and friends. He was generous and loyal, and he took good care of those he loved. He was a proud dad and grandpa.

Jim and Sue enjoyed many years of motorcycling and snowmobiling. After they retired (Jim from Northshore Mining), they enjoyed winters traveling in their motorhome. In 2018, they sold their Marble Lake home to become full-time RVers which had been Jim’s dream for years. Summers were spent in Cook and winters they traveled around Texas. Jim often said that Texas felt like home to him, he really loved it there. They were planning their third visit to Big Bend National Park when he received his cancer diagnosis. In January 2020 they moved to Duluth where they could be close to family.

Jim was preceded in death by his parents and siblings John Porter, Glenda Delaney and Jack Porter.

Jim is survived by his wife of 45 years, Sue (Kontio) Porter, sons Jace Porter (Mary Kay Byers), and Jesse Porter (Amber Beck), grandchildren Alex Porter and Amelia Porter, all of Duluth; sister Marsha Oslund of Virginia, Minnesota; sisters- and brothers-in-law, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. We miss him dearly.

No services will be held.