Nathan Lucas Porter

Nathan Lucas Porter was born on January 30, 1988 at Baptist Hospital in Oklahoma City.  He passed away on January 9, 2018, just days before his 30th birthday.

Nathan never met a stranger from the time he could walk and talk. He went up to strangers in the mall and greeted them with, “How you doin’?”  He took great joy in all things outdoors.  As a boy, he loved to spend time in the creek behind our house.  We never knew what new “pet” he would bring home.  It may have been a snake, a turtle, or a lizard.  We remember coming home from work one afternoon to find a gigantic snapping turtle in the blue recycling bin. He was just saving it for us to look at and then he released it back into the creek.  He had a bug collection that was quite extensive with each bug perfectly preserved and labeled.  His excitement for creatures of all types was contagious and we would delight in his new finds.  I thought he would grow up to do something related to animals.  He volunteered his services at Martin Nature Park one summer and spent time as a Boy Scout. He loved to hike and fish too.  Nathan had a short stint as a musician, playing bass in a band made up of friends.  He was a skilled bicyclist, riding a fixed-gear bike that scared us to death. He put years of work into that bike.  Nathan was also quite the artist, his pen and paper drawings worthy of a budding cartoonist. With every interest and endeavor that Nathan pursued he gained a whole new group of lifelong friends.

Nathan went to Ralph Down’s Elementary School, Hefner Junior High and graduated from Putnam City North High School.  He then started working in restaurants in the Oklahoma City area, lastly at Picasso Café for many years.  He started out as a server, then moved on to bartending.  He won awards for his talents behind the bar including winning a Patron competition and a trip to Mexico to tour the facility.   He was outgoing and friendly and truly wanted to help his customers have the best experience possible.

Nathan’s kindness knew no bounds. He was never judgmental or critical of anyone.  He always remembered names as well as faces and greeted everyone with a big smile and a hug. We never went anywhere where he didn’t see someone he knew.  He always made us laugh. We were overwhelmed by the posts from friends and acquaintances on his Facebook wall.  The words that were used the most often were kind, funny, and genuine.  He was all those, and he was also loving to his family.  He was even kind to and protective of his little sister. Mom was “Mama” and Dad was his fishing buddy and we were always so proud to have him for our son.  We knew that he would do great things in his life and leave a lasting mark on everyone that knew him.  He lived larger than life but left us too soon.

His passing has left a huge hole in our hearts, one that will never be filled.  We will miss his laugh, his humor, his big smile, his hugs, his penchant for picking out good restaurants, his enthusiasm for Game of Thrones, Star Wars, Pokemon, Harry Potter and a million other things. His attitude about life was contagious and he embraced it for all it was worth. He was one of a kind and definitely “one of the good ones.”

He is survived by his parents, Jeff and Michele Porter; his little sister Rachel Porter and her partner Rylie Parrott; his aunts, Teresa Moore and Louise Crews and her husband Jim; his uncles, James De Arman and his wife Judy, Eric Porter and his partner Patricia; his cousins, Karen Reese and her husband Kevin, and their three children, McKaylee, Scarlett, and Owen; Kylie James and her wife Tracey, and their daughter Keslar; Neal Porter and John Porter.

A celebration of Nathan’s life will be held on Wednesday, January 17, at 3:00 pm at Frontline Church at 1104 N Robinson, Oklahoma City.