Jill Porter, retired public servant
Jill Porter passed away peacefully Saturday, June 11, 2022, in Richmond, Va., three months after her diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer. Born Oct. 30, 1951, she was 70 years old.
Jill was an outgoing and active individual, grew up in Chester, Md., and attended Queen Anne’s County High School and Western Maryland College. Her passions and interests included playing basketball, sailing, gardening, watching baseball, theatre, live music, and movies both classic and current. Frequent travel, both domestic and international, fed her appetite for experiencing new places and cuisines, and few could look as well-turned-out from such minimal luggage. While she could pack light and had a merry and sometimes mischievous spirit, Jill had a serious side when it came to politics and public policy as illustrated by her career in public service beginning on Capitol Hill, and working for the Maryland lieutenant governor and many agencies of Maryland government. Her favorite reading materials were newspapers and works of nonfiction, allowing her to keep abreast of current events and broaden her knowledge and understanding of the world.
Another distinguishing characteristic of Jill was her extensive social network. Her little black book/iPhone contained a vast collection of contacts with whom she corresponded and talked regularly, and she maintained a number of very close friends, augmented by her move to Rehoboth Beach in 2013.
Jill was the daughter of Harry B. Porter Sr. and Isabel Baxter Moody Porter, both of whom predeceased her. She is survived by her sister and brother-in-law, Jacqueline and Stanley Ziskind; her nephew and his wife, Bryan and Paula Saddler; and her great-niece, Teresa Saddler and her husband Ben Ward.
At Jill’s request, there was no funeral or memorial service, and her cremated remains will be scattered over water.
It would please Jill to have any contributions people wish to make in her honor given to Kent Island Heritage Society, P.O. Box 321, Stevensville, MD 21666; Bon Secours Hospice Program, bsvaf.org/waystogive/memorials; or to the donor’s local hospice system.
