January 29, 1948 - October 2, 2022

Ann Sly Porter passed away peacefully at St. Vincent's Hospital in Little Rock, Arkansas on Sunday, October 2, 2022, due to complications following surgery. Ann was born in Memphis, Tennessee on January 29, 1948 to Robert E. Sly and Joy Lee Kirkpatrick Sly. Ann married Jesse E. ''Rusty'' Porter Jr. of West Helena, Arkansas on July 31, 1971 and they settled in West Helena where they raised their three children, Katie, Jed and Sarah.

Touching the lives of many youth, Ann served as a Girl Scout and Boy Scout leader and Odyssey of the Mind and Quiz Bowl advisor for years. She was passionate about imparting her love of the English language and literature to high school remedial, general and AP levels and college students. Her creative talents were used not only with her students but also in theatre. She frequented the stage as lead and chorus roles in Helena Little Theatre performances. Two of her favorite roles were as M'Lynn in Steele Magnolias and Reverend Mother in Sound of Music. As a member of Junior Auxiliary, she created decorations for the annual Charity Ball and initiated a special youth program, Kids College, that engaged hundreds of children in arts, science and technical subjects over the years. Ann also served as an active member of Delta Kappa Gamma and PTO.

With a bachelor's degree from the University of Arkansas and master's from the University of Memphis, Ann taught English for decades at both Central High School (Helena-West Helena, Arkansas) and North Arkansas College, where she created a Shakespeare festival complete with costumes and appearances by Queen Elizabeth (played by Ann), the Bard and his creations.

In fact, if you were her student, you can likely quote the following:
''To-morrow, and to-morrow, and to-morrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.''
William Shakespeare, Macbeth

Upon retirement, she settled into a busy rhythm of community engagement, travel and reading. She became Master Gardener Certified, led and participated in book clubs, served on the Helena Little Theatre and Helena Museum boards and enjoyed singing in the church choir and playing bridge with old and new friends.

Ann most enjoyed celebrating the accomplishments of her children, their spouses and her grandchildren. She traveled many miles to support graduations, attend sporting events and taking care of them all. She would only be seen out of her Razorback red to support her grandchildren's or son-in-law's sports teams. Her Facebook feed was filled with shared posts of her grandchildren's athletic and academic accomplishments. However, she celebrated most the various roles they played in theatre productions following in their Meme's footsteps to memorize Shakespeare, emote a range of emotions and continuously step out of their comfort zones.

Ann was preceded in death by her parents, Bob and Joy Lee.

She is survived by her husband, Rusty; her children, Katie Mantooth (Jamie) of Martin, Tennessee, Jed Porter (Micah) of Batesville, Arkansas and Sarah Russell (Ryan) of Columbia, Missouri; her grandchildren, Porter, Betsy and Jack of Martin, Tennessee and Mike of Batesville, AR; cousins, Ginny Lou Cronan of Dallas, Texas, Judy Kelly (Mickey) of Kingsland, Georgia and Jan Glosser (Jeff) of Austin, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, Ann would enjoy friends and family supporting two of her loves, the environment and theatre. Donations in honor of Ann Porter can be sent to: Helena Little Theatre, C/O Don Eastman, 121 Kesl Lane, West Helena, AR 72390; Westview High School, Weakley Playhouse Theatre C/O Martin Kane, 8161 Hwy 45, Martin, TN 38237; or Phillips County Master Gardeners C/O Charles Gunn, 2886 Phillips County 300, Helena-West Helena, AR 72390.

A service celebrating her life, officiated by Reverend Buddy Hamner, will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, October 15 at Helena Methodist Church in Helena-West Helena, Arkansas. Visitation will be held 9:00-11:00 a.m. A private interment ceremony will take place later at Cypert Cemetery in Marvel, Arkansas.

Obituary Provided By:
Roller-Citizens Funeral Home
508 East Plaza Street
West Helena, AR  72390
www.rollerfuneralhomes.com