Celebrating the life of Harry Porterfield, someone everyone should know

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Friends, family, and fans celebrated the life of longtime CBS 2 anchor and reporter Harry Porterfield on Sunday at a memorial service at Saint James Episcopal Cathedral in River North.

Harry died on Oct. 23 at the age of 95. He spent 51 years on television in Chicago, including nearly 30 years at CBS 2 before retiring in 2015.

Harry was a gentleman and a scholar. He was a journalist with a law degree and a love of storytelling. His segment "Someone You Should Know" was a favorite of Chicago television viewers for decades, and anyone who met Harry could tell you that he was someone everyone should know.

At his memorial service on Sunday, Harry's stepson, Eric Shropshire, talked about how Harry's work helped so many people.

"Harry quietly blazed trails in the Black community. However, his popularity and respect spanned all races and generations. He spent a lot of his broadcast life digging into stories about regular people, and highlighting their often underappreciated or unknown accomplishments; understanding that these kind of stories were often underlooked, and needed to be told," he said.

Harry is survived by a wife of 55 years, four children, one grandchild, and a great grandchild. Add to that many friends and colleagues who will never forget his grace and kindness.