Joseph Arthur Porch

Joseph (Joe) Arthur Porch of Georgetown, Texas passed away on Sunday, March 12, 2023 at the age of 87. He was born on February 15, 1936 in Lucerne Mines, Pennsylvania. He was the ninth of ten children from Paul and Mary Porch, both of whom emigrated from Hungary when they were children. Joe graduated from Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio with a B.A. in Political Science in 1961. Prior to that he served in the United States Air Force from 1954 to 1957 attaining the rank of A2C. Because of his military service, he was able to attend his beloved Ohio State on the G.I. Bill. Joe worked in the Contracts Departments at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio, Tracor Aerospace, General Dynamics, and BAE Systems over his 38-year career. He negotiated contracts for aircraft defense systems and later for the F-16 aircraft. He conducted business all over the world. Occasionally, his wife Joyce was able to accompany him on his business trips. He was promoted to increasing levels of responsibility from contracts negotiator/project manager when he started his work career, all the way to Division Vice President of Contracts at Tracor and then BAE Systems at the time of his retirement in 1999. Joe was a loving, devoted husband and father of three, and he made his family’s well-being the focus of his life. He was actively involved in church as a Sunday School teacher, deacon, elder, and trustee for Wilshire Presbyterian Church in Austin and then later at First Presbyterian Church in Georgetown. Joe participated in CROP Hunger Walk almost every year since the late 1960’s. In 2011, he volunteered as the CROP Walk director for the Georgetown Chapter. Joe also delivered meals for several years for Meals on Wheels in Georgetown. His favorite hobbies were gardening and playing golf, and he even won a few skins games and tournaments at Georgetown Country Club after he retired, often playing in tournaments with his son Joe Jr. Another of his favorite things to do in retirement was to play Santa Claus for the children at church, the library, and at Tracor where employees brought their children to sit on his lap. He would start growing a beard in the middle of the summer, and have a nice, fluffy white beard in time for Christmas with the kids. Joe is preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Mary Porch, and seven of his siblings. He is survived by wife Joyce Howard Porch, son Joe Jr., daughter Morganna Palomarez (and husband Omar), daughter Nicole Warren, and grandchildren Derek Porch (and partner Javier Fuentes), Danielle Rosenbaum (and husband Travis), Zachary Kuehn, McKinsey Kuehn (and fiancée John Wilmot), Maxwell Warren, Alexandra Warren, Jaxxon Warren, and Nixxon Warren. The family would like to thank caregiver Amy Lopez Martinez for the outstanding care and compassion she showed to Joe in his final days in hospice care. Family and friends are invited to attend a Memorial Service at First Presbyterian Church in Georgetown on May 17th, 2023 at 2:00 PM. A reception will be held immediately after the service. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Joe’s honor to CWS CROP Hunger Walk, Meals on Wheels, First Presbyterian Church in Georgetown, or a charity of your choice.