Charlotte Lea (Hoeft) Portouw

Charlotte Lea Portouw
December 5, 1957 - October 29, 2021

Charlotte Lea Portouw (Hoeft) passed away at home on the 29th of October surrounded by four generations of her family after a brief battle with cancer. She was 63 years old. She especially drew strength from her lovely granddaughter, Olivia Portouw. She is survived by her husband, Larry, of Whetstone, Arizona, children Jeffrey (wife Yeenkie), of Scottsdale, Arizona, and Laura (husband Kyle), of Marietta, Georgia, mother Kit Hoeft, of Quiburi Mission at Benson, Arizona, a sister and two brothers in SW Washington State and NE Oregon, and granddaughter Olivia (Olive), of Scottsdale, Arizona. She was preceded in death by her father, Charles Hoeft.

Charlotte was born the second of four children to Charles and Kit Hoeft on December 5th, 1957, in Pendleton, Oregon. She graduated from Pendleton High School and then attended Oregon State University in Corvallis Oregon, graduating in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science in Geology. She was active in Kappa Delta both while at Oregon State and after graduation.

Charlotte and Larry met at Oregon State and married in 1980 in a ceremony in Pendleton Oregon. They embarked on a 26-year adventure with the United States Army living in many locations around the United States and in Europe to include Fort Huachuca. Charlotte and Larry celebrated the birth of son Jeffrey in 1984 followed by daughter Laura in 1986. They returned to Sierra Vista and Fort Huachuca after her husband’s retirement from active duty. Because of the ties they developed in the Military Intelligence Corps and local community throughout their Army service, they built a house and settled in Whetstone, Arizona.

Charlotte’s smile and warm demeanor filled every room with sunshine and joy. People she met were instantly friends and she always rose to the occasion to help when called upon or when she observed a need. Charlotte was a giver who was always looking for opportunities to make the lives of others more comfortable, even at her own expense. She is a recipient of the US Army Commander’s Award for Civilian Service and Military Intelligence Corps Golden Rose. Her ability to put people at ease in any situation was cherished as was her ability to doggedly pursue and correct bureaucratic wrongs, especially when they impacted Soldiers’ families.

Charlotte will be interred at the Fort Huachuca Cemetery at a date yet to be determined. The family asks that in lieu of flowers donations be made to Hummingbird Stitchers Quilt Guild, PO Box 1326 Sierra Vista, AZ 85636 (https://www.hummingbirdquiltguild.com/index.html) or to The Good Samaritan Quiburi Mission 850 S. State Highway 80, Benson, AZ, 85602.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Charlotte Lea (Hoeft) Portouw, please visit our floral store.