Services Saturday
Trilby Porter, née Mammen, passed away peacefully on January 12, 2022, at the age of 83. She grew up in Storm Lake, Iowa, and was a long-time resident of Elmhurst. Trilby was the beloved wife of Gerald (Jerry) Porter; loving mother of Todd (Kelly), and Tom (Raquel); proud grandmother of Matthew, Michael (Nicole), Jamie, Stephanie, and Siena, and proud great grandmother of Gracie; dear sister of Jerrilyn Maxwell and the late Sharon Kelly; and loving daughter of the late Audrey, née Knoll and the late Henry Mammen; devoted teacher and friend of many. Trilby and Jerry grew up together in Storm Lake. They met in grade school, attended high school and Drake University together, and were then married for 63 years.
They moved to Elmhurst shortly after college, where they raised their family, and where Trilby was a beloved kindergarten teacher at Field School, Edison School, and Bethel Learning Center, who touched the hearts and minds of children and families for over 30 years. As several of her former students and their parents have noted following Trilby’s passing, “I can hardly remember the names of any of my teachers, but I will always remember Mrs. Porter;” “She was kind and generous, and could make you feel as if you were the only person in the room, a true treasure, and beloved by many;” “Trilby Porter was the first ace I drew in life, and like the poem suggests, everything I ever really needed to know in life I learned in kindergarten…from Mrs. Porter;” “She will live on forever in her students;” and “So much of who our kids are is because of her compassion and caring.” Visitation Saturday, Feb. 12, beginning at 1 p.m. until time of funeral service at 4 p.m. at Gibbons Funeral Home, 134 South York Road, Elmhurst. Interment Private. Live Stream of the service beginning at 4 p.m. available through the funeral home website. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Parkinson’s Foundation, 200 SE 1st Street, Suite 800, Miami, FL 33131; or, The Multiple System Atrophy Coalition, 7918 Jones Branch Drive, Suite 300, McLean, VA 22102. For funeral information please call 630-832-0018 or www.gibbonsfuneralhome.com.
