Donald Porter

Donald Porter, husband of Diane Toby Porter, together for 49 years, passed away Wednesday, August 31,2022 at Dominion Senior Living in Clemson, SC.

Donald was born on April 16,1939 in New Orleans, LA, son of the late Donald Roy and Olga Lyons Porter.  He grew up in Gallion, AL, and is a 1960 graduate of the University of the South at Sewanee.  He also has a BA in literature and an MA in poetry from Cambridge University in England. After 2 years at Cambridge, Donald spent a year in France studying at the Sorbonne and traveling around Europe.  He then taught English for two years at the University of Shiraz in Iran.

Donald is survived by two daughters and their husbands: Katherine Moselle Porter and Tyler Keenan who live in Bellevue WA, and Victoria Lyons and Glynn J Hall who live in Bradenton FL, and Victoria’s daughter Cassandra Lyons Davis and son Timothy James Pascarelli; brothers Marcus de Lafayette, and Stephen Labatt and Patricia; sisters Cecil Williamson, and Shari Jung and Robert M. (Mac) Wood.

In addition to his parents Donald was predeceased by brothers Theodore (Teddy) Lyons and Andrew (Drew) Justus, brother-in-law Wayne Williamson, nephew Walter John (Jay) Jung IV, and cousin Kenneth Williams.

Donald deeply loved his wife and daughters.  When the children were young, he delighted in exploring Central Park with them on Sundays, especially taking them to the carousel and the children’s zoo. 

For 16 years Donald and his family lived in South Salem, New York, an area filled with writers, artists, musicians and actors.  He had many friends and was involved with the art museum, local theater, and formal gatherings (salons). Donald wrote numerous books and several financial articles, some under his own name, some under pseudonyms, and some he  ghostwrote.  

In 2012 Donald moved to Birmingham to join his brother Marc at the company they had created in 1991.  He loved working with Marc and came home at night talking about all the wonderful people he worked with at the office.

Each year Donald looked forward to visiting with all the family at the Porter Family Reunions, where he relished the wonderful cooking of his sister Cecil and her daughters Olga and Jyl - and Thomas’s (Olga’s husband) incredible pastries. 

Donald and his wife moved to Clemson in November 2021 to be near his sister Shari and her husband Mac.  He cherished their frequent visits. 

He was very close to his wife’s cousin, Bobbi Sloan, and her son, Corey Sloan Cisney.

William B. Hairston III was both his attorney and good friend.  

Donald and Diane are eternally grateful to Richard Boyle for all he did.  He will always be family.

Graveside services will be held on Saturday, September 10^th, 2022, at 10 a.m., at St Andrew’s Episcopal Church Cemetery, which is directly across from the Gallion Baptist Church, 400 Gallion Road, Gallion, AL 36742.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to:

University of the South

Gift records, 

735 University Avenue

Sewanee, TN 37383

https://new.sewanee.edu/sewanee-fund/