Patricia Finch Porterfield

Patricia Finch Porterfield of St. Petersburg passed away on Palm Sunday, April 5, 2020. She was 93 years old. Born December 12, 1926 in Lansing, Michigan she was the daughter of Kenneth and Edyth Finch. She had one sister Eleanor Clarkson who preceded her in death. She was a 1949 graduate of Michigan State University with a Bachelor of Arts. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. In her early life she was an actress and singer. She was part of both the National Company and the New York Company of South Pacific in the 1950's. She also appeared on Broadway in other musicals such as Fanny, The Matchmaker, Bells Are Ringing, Tall Story, and The Unsinkable Molly Brown. She was the first contestant on the game show What's My Line and was in the television productions of Cinderella and Wonderful Town. She also acted in television and radio advertising. She was married to John R. Porterfield in 1956 and later divorced. In the 1970's she dedicated her life to Jesus Christ and served in evangelism working as Director of Membership and Evangelism at Hollywood Hills United Methodist Church, Hollywood and First United Methodist Church, St. Petersburg. She later worked as an Activities Director for several nursing homes in the St. Petersburg area. She was a member of First United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg. She is survived by her son Kenneth of St. Petersburg and two grandchildren. She was interred on Thursday, April 9th at Memorial Park Cemetery. A date for a memorial service is pending due to the current pandemic.