Peter Porto

Peter Porto, 63, passed away on October 30, 2024.  Peter was diagnosed with Early-onset Alzheimer’s disease in 2019.  We cared for him at home until July of 2023, when he moved to Arbor Springs in West Des Moines, where he resided until his passing.  He will be cremated, and a memorial mass will be held on Saturday, November 9th at Sacred Heart Church, 1627 Grand Avenue, West Des Moines, IA.  A visitation will be held from 10 am to 11 am and Mass will begin at 11 am.  A luncheon will follow in Sacred Heart’s Parish Center.

Peter was born April 5, 1961 to Charles and Lucille Porto in Des Moines, Iowa.  He grew up in West Des Moines and graduated from Dowling Catholic High School in 1979. He began college at Iowa State but graduated from University of Iowa and remained a Hawkeye for life.  In the early 2000’s Peter earned his Masters in Business from Drake University. 

Outside of family, Peter’s passions included making people laugh, gardening, cycling, playing adult soccer, refereeing soccer, fishing, playing guitar and piano, and college football.

Family was everything. Tavé and Peter were married just short of 30 years and raised their three children, Charlie, 27, Joe, 25, and Marie, 22 in West Des Moines.  

Peter grew up with a big, wonderful family. He has four sisters, Eileen Holzmueller, Theresa Waltz, Carolyn (Paul) Johnson, and Aunt Linda Porto. He also has four brothers, John (Carole) Porto, Mike (Gail) Porto, Chuck (Mary) Porto, and Joe Porto. He also has 20 nieces and nephews and 33 great-nieces and nephews.

In addition to the Porto family above, he is also survived by his mother-in-law, Carol Vernon, and sisters-in-law, Kemi Vernon, Callie (Miles) Dunbar, Erin (Ueli) Kaeslin, and Lisa (Jim) Marsh.

In death, he rejoins his parents, Lucille and Charlie Porto, brother-in-laws Dave Waltz and John Holzmueller, Mother-in-Law Mary Metcalfe, father-in-law John Vernon, and great-nephew Anthony Porto.

Tavé, Charlie, Joe, and Marie would like to extend our thanks to all our friends and family for the unwavering support we have received through this journey.  We would also like to thank Arbor Springs for taking care of Peter when we needed their help.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution to The Alzheimer's Association, Food Bank of Iowa, Camp Foster Project 130, or your favorite charity.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Peter Porto, please visit our floral store.