Eleanor Marie Muchmore passed away peacefully on December 8, 2023. She was born in Moulton, Alabama, to the late Walter and Jennie (Hadley) Porter on September 30, 1926. She grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, graduated from Sycamore High School, and went on to graduate from Wilmington College in 1948. While attending Wilmington, Eleanor introduced her roommate Ruby Edwards to her brother Virgil Porter, thus starting a romance that would result in a marriage of more than 60 years.

The year that Eleanor graduated, she herself married the late Elza Dick. The couple divorced 14 years later, and Eleanor finished raising her four children as a single mother while working as an editor at Southwestern Publishing Co. She married the late Thomas Biggart in 1976, and the couple divorced in 1989. Eleanor married Ivan Muchmore in January 1997.

After she retired from Southwestern Publishing, Eleanor became a financial planner. She was an accomplished and respected businesswoman who won many awards, including Businesswoman of the Year.

Eleanor was also a woman of profoundly dedicated faith. A Quaker on both parental sides, she became a member of Cincinnati Friends Meeting in 1969. She served on many committees in our Meeting, including Ministry & Counsel, which she clerked. Jim Newby, our current minister who also served here in the 1970s, recalled that Eleanor held the role of Treasurer during his first tenure, and that she was thoughtful, loving, and always willing to help. She sent him a beautiful letter of encouragement when he returned to our community in 2016.

Eleanor could light up a room with her smile. She was vivacious, adventurous, and loved being around other people. She enjoyed traveling and was an avid reader.

Eleanor spent her final years in Florida. She was preceded in death by her parents, Walter and Jennie Porter, and her brothers Virgil (Ruby) and Herschel (Angela) Porter. She is survived by her children Henry (Donna) Dick of Cincinnati, OH; Nola Hadley-Torres (Sarah Lyn) of Union City, CA; Paul (Shirley) Dick of Reynoldsburg, OH; Barbara (Tim) Miller of Weaverville, NC; twelve grandchildren; thirty-two great grandchildren; and ten great, great grandchildren.

She leaves a legacy of love and faith, and will be greatly missed by all who knew her.

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