Robert John Porter

Robert John Porter, Jr., was born July 19, 1944, in Brooklyn New York to Edith Gilmore Porter and Robert John Porter, Sr. He passed away, surrounded by his family on March 21, 2015. He leaves his dedicated husband of 21 years, Donald Miller; 4 children: Maryfrances R. Porter and her husband Jacque Landry; Robert "Robby" J. Porter, III, Edward "Eddy" M. Porter and Eleanor P. VonAchen and her husband Douglas VonAchen; his 7 grandchildren; his brother William "Billy" Porter; Billy's wife Donna Porter and their children; his sister-in-law, Marjorie Porter, her husband Gary Sparks and Marjorie's children, and many great nieces and nephews. Bob was preceded in death by his parents and his youngest brother, George. Known to many as Dr. Bob, his grandfather came to America from Ireland and sold Irish linens in New York. His parents met in Brooklyn. When little Bobby was 3, he, his parents and his younger brother Billy moved to the tiny farming town of East Washington, New Hampshire. They started a family farm on a long dirt road. Bobby began his education at a one room schoolhouse of 20 children in grades 1 thru 8. Bobby was curious about bugs, stones and nature. Fascinated by the advent of space travel, Bobby realized he wanted to be a scientist. At the age of 10, Bobby, his two younger brothers (Billy and Georgie) moved with their parents to Waltham, Massachusetts. They all continued spend as much time at the farm as they could. Bob graduated from Waltham High School (class of 1962). He went to Georgia Tech that same Fall, and joined the Theta Xi fraternity. He met his wife, Ms. Gary S. Thomson, while attending GA Tech (class of 1967). They married on July 16, 1966. Bob received this Ph.D. in psychology in 1972 from the University of Connecticut. He accepted a faculty position in the Department of Psychology at the University of New Orleans, where he retired as Vice Chair of the Department. He also conducted research in speech and hearing at the Kresge Foundation Laboratories at Louisiana State University Medical School. He and his wife separated in 1984. In the 1990's Bob began a new chapter in his life: in 1993, he met Donald who (Bob would readily let you know!) was the love of his life; Bob dedicated his life to sobriety in March 1994 (and eventually celebrated 20 years of sobriety, March 23 would have been 21 years); he retired from UNO and LSU in 1997 to pursue a second career as a clinical psychologist; stayed heavily involved in research - focusing on "chaos theory." Dr. Bob had boundless love and respect for all his clients - especially the children. He often said that he was honored and privilege to be a part of his clients' journey in life, and how this was the work that fulfilled him the most. Dr. Bob also was well respected and loved in the community doing consulting and counseling, being active and connected in AA and therapy and gay communities. Dr. Bob is the Past President of the Florida Psychological Association, as well as the Past Treasurer of the Tampa Bay Psychoanalytic Society. Always ahead of the curve, Bob and Donald held a civil union ceremony at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of New Orleans on June 4, 1994. His family and friends came to celebrate the love he and Donald had discovered. As soon as gay marriage became legal, they were married in Massachusetts on June 4, 2004. Dr. Bob enjoyed a fulfilling and very happy life. He found his true life, lived to meet all his grandchildren and pursue inner peace and love. We are missing him mightily. ******************************* We very much appreciate your remembrances and hope you share them with others on the memorial webpage, and that you are able to join us at services to remember him personally. Please email [email protected] to make sure you get notified of memorial service dates and locations Bob would love flowers at the memorial service - if you would like to bring or send flowers to the service, we will notify you when the service is planned. If you would like to make a donation in his name, please consider contributing to help the family cover his final arrangement (http://de.gofund.me/pks7ko) or making a donation to the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay (http://www.crisiscenter.com/). Best wishes and peace, The Family of Dr. Bob, Dr. Porter, Bob, Bobby, Beloved Brother, Poppy/Big Daddy, Darling & Dad