Leland S. Porterfield was born at home in Puyallup on July 12, 1929, the second of five children to Cecil Oscar and Marjorie Lyndell Herren Porterfield. He died July 5, 2019 at home in Port Angeles in the arms of his wife of 64 years.

Lee graduated from Puyallup High School in 1947 then served in the U.S. Army in Europe and at Madigan Army
hospital. He was discharged at the rank of Sergeant First Class in 1952.

Lee enrolled at Western Washington College of Education in Bellingham (now Western Washington University) on the GI bill. He soon met Gwendolyn Arlene Fairchild from Port Angeles, and they were married on April 17, 1955. In 1956, Lee and Gwen settled in Port Angeles and Lee began his teaching career at Roosevelt Junior High. He spent 30 years in the ninth grade teaching primarily geography and Washington State history. He also coached drama and Knowledge Bowl. When Roosevelt Jr High closed in 1980, Lee moved with the ninth grade to Port Angeles High School. He retired in 1986.

Lee was active in the Telephone Pioneers service club (Gwen retired from Pacific Northwest Bell in 1986.) He served as scholarship chair and coordinated the Readers for Life program, distributing books to elementary schools across the county. Lee was named Washington Telephone Pioneer Partner of the year in the early '80s. He also received the Washington Governor's Volunteer Service Award in 2005 from Governor Christine Gregoire. The Telephone Pioneer club provided many opportunities for travel to conferences around the U.S. Lee and Gwen also participated in Volksmarches around the country, and enjoyed many different cruises. Lee's favorite cruises were through the Panama Canal in 1998, to Alaska and Hawaii, and to the Arctic Circle.

Lee worked at polling stations on election days and volunteered at the Port Angeles Police Department and at the Clallam County Historical Society. He was a former board member at CCHS and docent at the Carnegie Museum, greeting visitors from around the world and telling the history of Port Angeles and Clallam County. The Fresnel lens was Lee's favorite exhibit; it is now on display at the Dungeness Lighthouse Museum.

Lee could also be found greeting visitors at the Port Angeles Senior Center. At different times throughout the years he served on the Senior Center board of directors, as president of the guiding committee, and coordinator of the front desk crew. He worked on the newsletter for many years and continued to proof-read it every month right up through the July 2019 issue.

Lee was most proud of his contributions to local history books and co-authoring A History of Clallam County Washington in 2005.

Leland was preceded in death by his parents and brother Jerry Scott Porterfield, brothers-in-law Fred Kolilis and
Bill Money, and sisters-in-law Faye Fairchild Loomis and Jean Fairchild.

He is survived by his wife Gwen, daughters Wenderly Jeanne Porterfield and Nola Lee (Kris) Grier, grandson Miles Edward Grier, all of Port Angeles, and granddaughters Evangeline Lee Grier and Gwendolen Grace "Gigi" Grier (Soren Campos) of Tacoma. Also, sisters Lyndell Kolilis of Elma, Midge Criger of Tacoma, and Penny Money of Olympia, cousins Chris Myers and Diane Ganglo of Mesa, AZ, brother-in-law Darrell Fairchild of Port Angeles, sister-in-law Rita Porterfield Curry of Laguna Woods, CA, and many nieces and nephews.

There will be no services. Memorial contributions would be appreciated to the New Dungeness Light Station Association, PO Box 1283, Sequim WA 98382, or newdungenesslighthouse.com.

Drennan & Ford Funeral Home in Port Angeles is entrusted with his arrangements. Please sign the online guestbook for his family at www.drennanford.com .