Longtime resident Roger Porto died on November 16, 2022. His daughter Debbie Lynn was by his side in Anchorage where he was hospitalized after suffering a stroke in Juneau ten days earlier.
Roger was born on August 25, 1941, in Oakland, California. Early on he developed a love of athletics and the outdoors. His thoughts were of adventure, travel, sports, and martial arts. He was active in scouting, eventually becoming an Eagle Scout. He became, like his father, a lifelong football fan. He was in the Oakland High School class of 1959 where he was Captain of the football team.
He loved to read, especially stories of the American Indian. Roger’s youth was filled with aspirations to see the world and create his own adventures. He went to the Orient as a Merchant Marine. He spent two summers working on a fishing boat in Southeastern Alaska. This experience had a lasting impression on him.
After earning a degree in history from San Francisco State, Roger pursued his interest in writing. In 1966, Roger married Nancy Reifenstein, a young widow. Roger, Nancy and her son Mik, lived in Alameda, Pacheco and then Milpitas, California while Roger worked as a journalist. It was while working as editor of the Milpitas Post that Roger decided to answer the call of the wild and move to Alaska.
By 1967, Roger and family were in Juneau. He worked for the Juneau Douglas Phone Company. In June 1970, Roger’s daughter, Debbie Lynn, was born. In 1971, he and his friend Roger Spencer rekindled their love of commercial fishing by purchasing the Rexana, a 40 ft. salmon troller. In 1973, Roger earned his real estate license. And after obtaining his broker’s license in 1977, Roger worked as an owner and managing broker in the real estate business for the rest of his life.
Roger lost his wife in 1994 and his son Mik in 2018. He leaves his daughter Debbie Lynn (Michael) Hutcherson; brother Jeff (Gail) Porto of Orinda, Calif. and brother-in-law George (Deb) Reifenstein, of Juneau, nieces Amy (John) Stocklin, Ami (Scott Gende) and Heidi (Wayne Leighty) Reifenstein, nephews Donald Porto, and Peter Reifenstein.
Roger was a loving husband and father. He was a good friend to many and a compassionate person who truly cared about others. There was a celebration of his life at the Juneau Yacht Club held on Saturday, April 8, 2023.
Roger’s family has requested that donations in his memory go to the Youth Equity Fund to support scholarships for low-income youth to attend camps and activities in Juneau.
To Donate
Donate by credit card using the link below or make your checks payable to: Juneau Community Foundation, 350 North Franklin Street, Suite 4, Juneau, Alaska 99801. Please call us at 907-523-5450, or email info@juneaucf.org for information on donating stock, wiring funds, establishing a Fund, gifting a portion of a Qualified Charitable Distribution from your IRA, or naming the Juneau Community Foundation in your will as a designated beneficiary.
