Jean Mary Portz

Jean Mary Portz passed away peacefully at the age of 82 on March 16, 2024.

Jean was born to Joseph and Doris Clark in Newark, New Jersey on July 15, 1941. She graduated from Central Regional High School in Bayville, New Jersey in 1959 and received a bachelor’s degree in education from Monmouth College in New Jersey in 1963. Jean made her living as a teacher, a career she had aspired to since she was a child (she was even the vice president of Future Teachers of America in high school.) She began teaching in 1964 and didn’t stop until retirement, taught every grade from kindergarten to sixth, and across the states of New Jersey, Wyoming, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Every minute spent in the classroom was a joyful one for her. She retired in 2001, less than a year after her husband Robert “Bob” Portz, with whom she moved to Milford, New Hampshire the following year. Jean loved traveling with her husband, filling almost every summer with cruises and RV trips across the country, eventually visiting almost all 50 states. Where Bob was dedicated to caring for their yard, Jean was dedicated to caring for their home. She loved hosting parties for her friends and family there, and especially loved decorating for Christmas each year. She also loved dancing, reading, learning about history, spending time with her grandchildren, and telling stories; it was often said by those who knew her that she was the best storyteller.

Jean was preceded in death by her sisters Joan Feldman and Mary Ann Clark, and by her husband Bob, who passed away less than a year ago and is now certainly delighted to be reunited with his wife of 60 years. Jean is survived by her sister Mia Clark, her daughter Natalie Jo Flamburis, her son-in-law David Flamburis, and her grandchildren Paul, Dale, and Jackson Flamburis.

Calling hours will be held on Monday, April 22nd from 5:00pm-7:00pm in the

Smith & Heald Funeral Home, 63 Elm Street, Milford, NH. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, April 23rd at 11:00am in the First Congregational Church, 10 Union Street, Milford, NH. A reception will be held at the Parish House directly following the service. Arrangements are in the care of Smith & Heald Funeral Home. To share a memory or offer a condolence, please go to www.smith-heald.com