Beth Sargent Porter, 92 of Rexburg, died October 20, 2010. She was born on January 13, 1918, in Grace, Idaho, where her father was the county agricultural agent. The family later moved to a farm outside Cedar City, Utah.
When Beth was growing up her father had a ranch, and raised goats, sheep, horses, and cows at the family farm. He also established a dairy, taught at the Branch Agricultural College (now Southern Utah University), and served as Stake President. In her family the boys were expected to do farm work and the girls became homemakers, baking bread, sewing, and keeping house. Beth rode the bus each day to school. Until rural electrification brought water and electricity in 1934, the family hauled milk to Cedar City and returned with the milk containers full of water.
Beth left Cedar in 1936 to attend Utah State University, where she obtained a bachelors degree in home economics. She then was offered a teaching position at Ricks College in Rexburg, Idaho. Another faculty member, Arthur Porter Jr., publisher of the Rexburg Journal, invited Beth to meet his son, Art, who was away serving in the military. Art and Beth were married on April 27, 1942, when Art stopped in Rexburg on a three-day pass on his way to officer candidate school. The marriage was solemnized July 5, 1950 in the Logan LDS Temple.
During the war years Art and Beth lived on military bases where Art served as a supply officer and a photographer. Their first child, Arthur Leroy, was born during this period. Following the war the young family returned to Idaho and Art and Beth purchased the Clark County Enterprise newspaper in Dubois. Another son, Gary, joined the family while Beth made a home in an apartment above Porters Variety on College Avenue and Art traveled back and forth between Rexburg and Dubois.
The couple sold the Clark County Enterprise in 1947 and purchased the Rexburg Journal from Art's father, and the family moved to an apartment at the corner of Main Street and Second East, which adjoined the home of Art's parents. A son, Randall, and (finally!) a daughter, Alison, soon joined the young family.
Art purchased at public auction a number of lots on the Rexburg hill in the late 1940's and Art and Beth soon built a home at what was then the top of the Rexburg hill. Art sold the Rexburg Journal to his brother John in 1953. John also owned the Rexburg Standard newspaper. Meanwhile, another son, Douglas, was born.
After selling the newspaper business Art concentrated on commercial printing and aerial photography, personally taking more than 8000 photos of private farms in the western states and selling them to county newspapers under the business name Western Air Photo. Beth, with her young family, would worry whether Art would make it home from his flying trips to far off places.
In the early 1960's Beth returned to teaching home economics at Ricks College. Art was then busy developing a business to print wedding invitations under the Rexcraft, Stylart and Artco names. Beth taught for four years in her second career at Ricks College.
Art and Beth spent 17 years traveling to Kauai to a condominium they purchased after the Teton Dam flood in 1976. They also built a home there and later became great travelers visiting foreign lands and cultures.
In 1993, after enduring two Hawaii hurricanes, Art and Beth built a home in St. George, spending the winters in Southern Utah and summers in both Rexburg and their cabin at Palisades. After Art died in 1997, Beth continued to spend the winters in St. George and her summers in Rexburg living in her beloved neighborhood within the Rexburg Sixth Ward.
Beth was an avid, life long reader and always a member of a book club in Rexburg. She had many dear friends in both Rexburg and St. George. She enjoyed her friends and large family and remained active and engaged until her death. She was positive, calming, forgiving, graceful and full of gratitude for the countless acts of kindness shown to her.
She is survived by four children, Arthur (Elaine), San Jose, Costa Rica; Gary (Toshiko), Ann Arbor, MI; Randall (Trudy), Rexburg, ID; and Douglas (Mary), Park City, UT; 25 grandchildren, and 38 great grandchildren; and four siblings, Carol Cooley, Provo, UT; Luree Schmutz, Cedar City, UT; Mildred Cardon, Cedar City, UT; and Jack (Jane) Sargent, Brigham City, UT.
She was preceded in death by her husband Art, a daughter, Alison; two grandchildren, Valery and Brent; and four siblings, Elma Parrish, Lee Sargent, Dean Sargent and Ross Sargent.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, October 27, 2010 at the Rexburg LDS East Stake Center, 387 South 4th East. The family will receive friends Tuesday evening from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. at the Flamm Funeral Home in Rexburg and Wednesday from 10:00 to 10:45 a.m. at the stake center. Interment will be in the Rexburg Cemetery.