Sophia Porter
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- Category: Obituaries
- Created on Monday, 06 April 2015 12:19
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Sofia (Strand) Porter, who grew up in Sitka and was called on often for her piano playing, died March 20 in Seattle, at age 77.
Services were held March 30 at Daybreak Star Cultural Center in Seattle.
Sofia was born March 12, 1938, in Sitka, the daughter of John and Lila (Newell) Strand. She graduated from Sitka High in 1956, and attended Sheldon Jackson Junior College 1956-57. She received a bachelor’s in music education from the College of Emporia in Emporia, Kansas, in 1960; and a master’s in public school administration from the University of Alaska in 1975.
While living in Sitka, she was organist and choir director for the First Presbyterian Church; a school district music teacher; a piano soloist and an accompanist for many local programs; and was music director for local theater productions, including “Mikado,” “Babes in Toyland” and “Gidget Goes Hawaiian.”
She also taught music at Mt. Edgecumbe High School from 1967 unti1 1975, when she moved to Seattle.
She was a teacher then librarian for Indian Heritage High School in the Seattle School District from 1979 until retiring in 1993.
She also continued with her community involvement in Seattle. She was organist at Mercer Island Presbyterian Church and later at Queen Anne Presbyterian Church, where she also served as an elder. She was a member of the Presbyterian Hymnbook Committee 1985-1990. One of the hymns, “Oh God the Crusader,” was dedicated to her, under her Tlingit name, Kastaak.
She was a member of the Northwest Native American Education Association, Presbyterian Association of Musicians, Washington Education Association, Seattle Teachers Association, National Native American Consulting Commission, and Western Washington Native American Education Consortium.
She also had belonged to Alaska Native Sisterhood Camp 4, Business and Professional Women, and Beta Sigma Phi.
Sofia was preceded in death by her husband, Julian; two of her children, John Jay and Julian Lawrence; her brother, Martin Strand; her parents, John and Lila Strand; and her parents-in-law, Lawrence and Cecilia Porter.
Survivors include her daughter, Julianna Porter of Seattle; her sister-in-law, Marcia Strand of Sitka; and nephews and nieces and other relatives in Portland, Ore., Yakima, Wash., and Anchorage.
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