Constance Porter

Constance (“Connie “) Bray Porter, 83, of Comfort, Texas passed away on Saturday, July 31, 2021, after a long history of heart disease.

Connie was born on May 3, 1938, in Champaign, Illinois,to Ewart and Kathleen (Kemper) Bray. After her parent’s divorce, she moved to Dallas and then Northern Virginia with her mother and stepfather. She graduated from Washington & Lee High school in Arlington, VA in 1956 and attended George Washington University where she met her former husband, Albert Porter. Albert and Connie were married 13 years and had two children: Steven Daryl and Dannelle Kathleen. In 1969, Connie moved to Texas with Steve & Dannelle to be closer to her mother’s home in Kerrville.

Connie worked briefly at the Hill Country Arts Foundation/Point Theater as a publicity director, and then in 1970 started a position at the Kerrville Daily Times as a features editor and columnist.  She later decided to try her hand in retail and, with her dear friend Laura Howe, opened a clothing store in Kerrville called Just Girls. Once her youngest headed off to college in 1980, Connie seized the opportunity to hit the road again. She settled in Petersburg, VA, where she picked up on her experience in journalism and worked as a Public Affairs Specialist at Fort Pickett, followed by editing positions as a manuscript editor at Synoptics Systems Corp in Petersburg and editor of training materials at Bank of America.

When offered a position at a branch in Jacksonville, Florida, she jumped at the chance to live near the beach in Ponte Vedra.  Beach living agreed with Connie; she bought a red Mazda Miata and enjoyed time with her Miata club and singles dance group.  After retiring, she moved to Arlington, Texas, to care for her aunt, June Holbrook, and then back to Kerrville before settling in Comfort Texas.

During her childhood- Connie moved several times, staying with family while her parents looked for work opportunities. She said once that she had lived in 8 different spaces from Illinois to Connecticut to Louisiana to Texas all before the 8th grade. For this reason, Connie felt she never could settle down in one place for too long. She bounced back and forth from Virginia to Florida to Texas, then back to Virginia, back to Florida, and back to Texas.

Connie always had a keen sense of humor that she used in her column in the Kerrville Daily Times and throughout her life. She had started writing a memoir of her childhood several years ago and shared it with her son and daughter. Reading her writing again, proved to be invaluable for her children and grandchildren to learn about her youth and life choices.

Connie was predeceased by her half-brother, Frederick C West and her former husband, Albert Porter. She is survived by her children, Steve Porter and wife Lisa Porter of Austin, Texas and Dannelle Parker and husband, Jeff Parker of Utica, New York and their families, including her grandchildren, Sarah Porter Crow, Ben Porter, Evan Parker and Maggie Parker. Two great grandchildren, Cade Crow and Casey Crow.   She is also survived by her half-sister, Virginia Bray Ashcroft of Callahan, Florida, half-brother John Daniel Bray, as well as her cousins, Jill Holbrook of Tucson, AZ., Gary Holbrook and Dennis Holbrook of the Dallas/Fort Worth area.

Her family would like to thank Connie’s dear friends over the years for putting her up in their homes as well as putting up with her nomadic ways.  She was particularly grateful to her cousin, Jill and her partner Lura Moore for her extended visits to their home in Tucson. Her family thanks her friend of nearly 50 years, Bo Tindall, of Petersburg, VA, for her several sojourns to Petersburg. Connie met Bo at the Point Theatre in the 1970’s. She even joined Bo and longtime friend, Laura Howe for a few stints onstage in the Point in Review performances.

The family wishes to send special acknowledgment to her close friends in Texas: Linda Seymour of Ingram, Diana Bush (formerly of Harper, Texas) and Amber Pressler of Comfort. Although technically her landlord, Amber became a trusted and dear friend.  Thank you, Linda and Amber, for being Connie’s lifeline and for BBQ and pizza deliveries during her stay at Cibolo Creek nursing home in Boerne.  Connie did not wish to have a memorial service, but please consider a donation to the Point Theatre, The Kerrville Humane Society or any other arts organization in the Hill Country. Message of sympathy can be left  at https://www.kerrvillefuneralhome.com/listings

Arrangements are under the direction of Kerrville Funeral Home.

Favorite quote from Kahlil Gibran – “On Death”

Only when you drink from the river of silence shall you indeed sing.

And when you have reached the mountaintop, then you shall begin to climb.

And when the earth shall claim your limbs, then shall you truly dance.

Arrangements are under the direction personal care of the professionals at Kerrville Funeral Home (830)895-5111