Dec. 28, 1935 – Aug. 19, 2018

NATCHEZ — A celebration of life to honor Bobbye J. Porter, 82, who died Sunday, Aug. 19, 2018, will be 1 p.m. Monday at the King’s Tavern with the Rev. Kevin Campbell officiating.

Arrangements are under the direction of Gallagher Funeral Home in Ball, La.

Ms. Porter was born Dec. 28, 1935, in Utica, the second daughter of Francis Marion Martin and Nellie Marie Scott Martin.            
“Bobbye J,” as she became known, came to Natchez in the late 60s and worked as a waitress and bartender for a number of years before she opened The Post House Restaurant. She owned and operated the Post House Restaurant and Bobbye J’s Saloon; also, was a partner in The West Bank Eatery. She was very active in tourism and was instrumental in the starting of the Balloon Race and Mardi Gras and served as president of the Natchez Restaurant chapter for three years. She served as president, vice president and president-elect of the Mississippi Restaurant Association. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the First Families of Mississippi.
She also served as a commissioner on the Natchez Adams County Convention and Visitor Center for a number of years. Over the years, she went on a number of trips to Washington, D.C., New York, Houston, Dallas and Chicago promoting the city of Natchez and the state of Mississippi. She won a number of awards over the years for her efforts. She said that she received the best award ever, the friendship of the people of Natchez.
She leaves a number of friends and acquaintances from over the years of having the pleasure of serving them. She was fond of saying, “the people of Natchez and the surrounding area have been very kind and generous to me, I have been blessed with a full life.”
She was preceded in death by two beloved children, Vicky Carol Porter and Mark Steven Porter; her parents; one brother, Francis Michael Martin; and two nephews, Francis David Sullivan and Patrick Toney.
Survivors include two daughters, Toni Faye Doyle of Hattiesburg and Karla Dawn Porter of Terry; one sister, Carolyn Martin Cole; two brothers, Robert Wayne Martin and Terry Lee Martin; seven grandchildren, Lacé Spring Dunigan, Marie Nicole Dunigan, William Gage Myers, Mark Steven Porter II, Martin Andrew Porter, Alice Nico Doyle and Axel Brown Doyle; four great-grandchildren, Kayla Anne Sawdy, Alicia Dakota Foster, Dadien Christopher Dunigan and Raylan Victoria Paridon; one great-great-grandchild, William Jaxton Sawdy; three nieces, Hope Toney, Bonnie Marie Fulgham and Tori Johnson; and two nephews, Rob Sullivan and Marty Martin.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to the Stew Pot, Mississippi Food Bank, St. Jude Children’s Hospital or to a charity of choice.