Mary M. Porter

Mary M. Porter, 92, of Anderson, passed away April 20, 2018 at Providence of Anderson following an extended illness. She was born December 2, 1925 in Washington, IN, the daughter of the late Louis Fred and Dorothy (Ellis) Roller. She grew up in Loogootee before moving to Anderson in 1943. She was employed at Anderson newspapers for twenty years as Marketing Director, and then started work at First Savings & Loan in 1976, serving as Senior Vice President and Corporate Secretary until her retirement in 1990. She received an advanced degree in Business from the University of Connecticut and attended many professional development programs at Indiana University, Bloomington. Mary was a member of First United Methodist Church. She served as both Local and National President of Sigma Alpha Chi Sorority. She was involved in her community, serving as the Secretary of the Board on the Boards of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce, Secretary of the Economic Development Commission, and on the Development Board of St. John’s Health System, as well as volunteering in many other community endeavors. She was the first to receive the Madison County Chamber of Commerce “Athena” award in 1988. On December 5, 1988, Mary was the first female recipient of the Sagamore of the Wabash in the state of Indiana, presented by then-Governor, Robert D. Orr. She was also a great sports enthusiast. Mary is survived by her sons, Steven Porter of Bloomington and Port Monmouth, NJ and Mark A. Porter of Chicago; grandchildren, Eric Porter and Jamie Porter; and sister, Charlotte Crooks of Atlanta, GA. She was preceded in death by her husband, Wm. Kenneth Porter. Funeral Service will be at 2:00 p.m. Monday, April 30, 2018 at Brown-Butz-Diedring Funeral Service & Crematory with Pastor Kerry Robinson officiating. Burial will follow at East Maplewood Cemetery. Visitation will be held from 12:00-2:00 p.m. Monday at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Vincent Anderson Regional – St. John’s Children’s Clinic.