Erford E. Porter, II, age 87, passed away on September 6, 2023. He was surrounded by his loving family.
Erf was a beloved husband, father of five, grandfather of twelve, friend, coach and community leader. He was born in the Catskills, the younger child of Ruth and Erford Porter.
He grew up in Roscoe, NY, “Trout Town USA”, and loved playing baseball, basketball, football, and, of course, fly-fishing on the legendary local streams. He enjoyed music and played the drums and ukulele from an early age. He graced many choirs with his beautiful tenor voice throughout his years.
He graduated from Alfred University with his B.A. in Chemistry, and then served in the US Army for two years as an Airborne Artillery officer in post-war Korea. He left active duty and joined Union Carbide where he worked for 28 years.
It was at Carbide that he met Jane Marie Brannigan, his most trusted confidante and life partner.
In 1987, he started his own energy strategy consulting firm, Supply Planning Associates, which he ran until 2003. In his “retired” years, he was a real estate broker with Berkshire Hathaway.Erf, Jane and their family lived in many places including: Moorestown and Cherry Hill, NJ; Ellicott City, MD; Yorktown Heights, NY; Naperville, IL; and Toronto, Ontario.
They finally settled in Old Greenwich in 1974.Erf was devoted to his family, his friends, his church, his community, and his country. Greenwich knows him for his contributions to the Boy Scouts, Greenwich Old Timers, American Legion Boys & Girls State Commission, Eastern Greenwich Civic Center Committee, and Greenwich Choral Society. He coached youth football, basketball and baseball and founded the Gateway Youth Football League (GYFL). He was an active member of the Retired Men’s Association, the Melody Men, Sound Beach Volunteer Band, and St. Clement Church choir.
He was involved in the Republican Town Committee and served for many years on the Greenwich RTM for Districts 6 and 12.
Erf was outgoing and funny. Throughout Greenwich, he was respected and loved. He has been honored by the Greenwich Old Timers and the GYFL.
There is even a sandwich named after him at Alpen Pantry–“The Erf”. It’s not on the menu, but you can ask for it.
Erf was predeceased by his parents, his sister, Beverly Mae, and his daughter-in-law, Michelle. He is survived by: Jane, his beloved wife of 62 years; five children–Erford III (Leslie), Paul (Michelle), Leslie Dobryn (Daniel), Michael (Michele), Jane-ellen Stefanowicz (Joseph); and twelve grandchildren-Hillary, Jonathan, Matthew, Zachary, Julia, Christian, Elena, Molly, Jordan, Kieran, Olivia, and Jake.
There will be a Mass in celebration of Erf’s life on Saturday, Sept. 23 at 11:00am, St. Clement Church, 535 Fairfield Ave., Stamford. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation in Erf’s memory to the scholarship fund of Greenwich Old Timers (www.greenwicholdtimers.org); or Greenwich Choral Society (www.gcs-ct.org).