At one time or another, all but a few high-performance powerboat companies have fallen under the heading of “small family business.” Formula Boats, which is based in Decatur, Ind.., still fits that description.
Earlier this week, Kristine Porter, the wife of the late company founder Vic Porter, died at Lutheran Hospital in Fort Wayne, Ind. The Formula matriarch was 94 years old.
In the mid-1990s, I wrote a long profile about Vic Porter for Powerboat magazine. I spent hours with him and his gracious wife, and from the moment I met her I knew she was his foundation. They teased each other gently. They laughed a lot. When their eyes met, they twinkled.
Their love for one another was beautifully obvious.
Later that year, their son, Scott, invited me to deliver the opening addressing at Formula’s annual summer dealer meeting at the Sanibel Island Resort in Southwest Florida. It remains one of the greatest honors of my entire careers. Rightly so, my voice broke and my hands shook when I spoke before the 300-plus guests in the banquet room before dinner.
Like so many Formula friends and colleagues, I mourned the death of Vic Porter in October 2021. Now those who know and love the family have another Porter to mourn.
News of her passing was announced yesterday in a press release from the company.
“Kris was an important part of Thunderbird/Formula’s success, supporting Vic’s endeavors while raising the company’s future leaders at home,” the release read. “Her touch was quietly apparent in many aspects of dealer meetings and company events over the years.
“If you ever met Kris, you remember her kindness and professionalism, and she leaves an impressive and lasting legacy.”
Nothing could be more accurate.
Rest in peace, Kristine Porter. I have no doubt that your husband met you—and will hold you forever—with that twinkle in his eyes.
Editor’s note: A funeral service will be held Friday, February 20, at 11 a.m. at Grace First Community Church, 502 W. Monroe St., Decatur, Indiana, with calling one hour prior from 10 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Officiating will be Pastor Steve Austin. Burial will be held in Decatur Cemetery.
Visitation will be held from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, February 19 at Zwick and Jahn Funeral Home in Decatur. Memorials may be made to Grace First Community Church, Decatur, or the Victor and Kristine Porter Community Enrichment Fund.