On April 1, 1979, Porter purchased the marina on Seneca Park Road that would later be named Porter’s Seneca Marina. The property had served as a marina since the 1940s and was previously called Stevens Boat Yard. According to his son, Ray Porter, “Mom (Sheila Porter) said he was having a mid-life crisis” for buying a marina, let alone buying a marina on April Fools’ Day.
Previous to that, Porter belonged to the Steamfitters Local union, but he “didn’t want to carry a lunch box anymore,” according to his son. He wanted to go into business for himself. Over the years they built up the property, adding two floating piers, reconfiguring the standing piers, and building the marina shop. Porter later became one of the founding members of the Marine Trades Association of Baltimore County (MTABC), which was formed in 1988.
In the early 2000s, he was instrumental in developing the Middle River fireworks show and helped to run that event for 15 years with MTABC. Last year the show was put on by Eastern Yacht Club, but sadly, this year the show did not happen. But Porter’s son, along with other dedicated Baltimore County boaters, hopes to get the show going again next year,
In his personal life Ray was a passionate boater through and through. The first boat he ever owned was a 25-foot Southwester (now Parker); then he moved up to a 31-foot Bertram, and later a 38-foot Bertram. Every July he used to take the boat down to Virginia Beach and then Ocean City for a few weeks to get in some offshore tuna fishing. On the Bay he enjoyed rockfishing as well as deer and duck hunting in the winter. But most of all he loved his family and working at the marina. “He enjoyed going to work every day, interacting with people,” his son Ray says. “He made a lot of friends through the marina, especially with other marina owners. His best friend was Bob Palmer of Tradewinds Marina, and we would joke that they would have to get an intercom put in because they talked so much.”
The boating community has lost a dear friend. Friends may make memorial contributions to the Michael J. Fox Parkinson Research Foundation.
Wednesday, July 5, 2017 - 16:49
In 1979, Raymond “Butch” Porter Sr. purchased Porter’s Seneca Marina in Middle River, MD, and from that day on he had been a mainstay in the Baltimore County boating community.
On April 1, 1979, Porter purchased the marina on Seneca Park Road that would later be named Porter’s Seneca Marina. The property had served as a marina since the 1940s and was previously called Stevens Boat Yard. According to his son, Ray Porter, “Mom (Sheila Porter) said he was having a mid-life crisis” for buying a marina, let alone buying a marina on April Fools’ Day.
Previous to that, Porter belonged to the Steamfitters Local union, but he “didn’t want to carry a lunch box anymore,” according to his son. He wanted to go into business for himself. Over the years they built up the property, adding two floating piers, reconfiguring the standing piers, and building the marina shop. Porter later became one of the founding members of the Marine Trades Association of Baltimore County (MTABC), which was formed in 1988.
In the early 2000s, he was instrumental in developing the Middle River fireworks show and helped to run that event for 15 years with MTABC. Last year the show was put on by Eastern Yacht Club, but sadly, this year the show did not happen. But Porter’s son, along with other dedicated Baltimore County boaters, hopes to get the show going again next year,
In his personal life Ray was a passionate boater through and through. The first boat he ever owned was a 25-foot Southwester (now Parker); then he moved up to a 31-foot Bertram, and later a 38-foot Bertram. Every July he used to take the boat down to Virginia Beach and then Ocean City for a few weeks to get in some offshore tuna fishing. On the Bay he enjoyed rockfishing as well as deer and duck hunting in the winter. But most of all he loved his family and working at the marina. “He enjoyed going to work every day, interacting with people,” his son Ray says. “He made a lot of friends through the marina, especially with other marina owners. His best friend was Bob Palmer of Tradewinds Marina, and we would joke that they would have to get an intercom put in because they talked so much.”
The boating community has lost a dear friend. Friends may make memorial contributions to the Michael J. Fox Parkinson Research Foundation.
On April 1, 1979, Porter purchased the marina on Seneca Park Road that would later be named Porter’s Seneca Marina. The property had served as a marina since the 1940s and was previously called Stevens Boat Yard. According to his son, Ray Porter, “Mom (Sheila Porter) said he was having a mid-life crisis” for buying a marina, let alone buying a marina on April Fools’ Day.
Previous to that, Porter belonged to the Steamfitters Local union, but he “didn’t want to carry a lunch box anymore,” according to his son. He wanted to go into business for himself. Over the years they built up the property, adding two floating piers, reconfiguring the standing piers, and building the marina shop. Porter later became one of the founding members of the Marine Trades Association of Baltimore County (MTABC), which was formed in 1988.
In the early 2000s, he was instrumental in developing the Middle River fireworks show and helped to run that event for 15 years with MTABC. Last year the show was put on by Eastern Yacht Club, but sadly, this year the show did not happen. But Porter’s son, along with other dedicated Baltimore County boaters, hopes to get the show going again next year,
In his personal life Ray was a passionate boater through and through. The first boat he ever owned was a 25-foot Southwester (now Parker); then he moved up to a 31-foot Bertram, and later a 38-foot Bertram. Every July he used to take the boat down to Virginia Beach and then Ocean City for a few weeks to get in some offshore tuna fishing. On the Bay he enjoyed rockfishing as well as deer and duck hunting in the winter. But most of all he loved his family and working at the marina. “He enjoyed going to work every day, interacting with people,” his son Ray says. “He made a lot of friends through the marina, especially with other marina owners. His best friend was Bob Palmer of Tradewinds Marina, and we would joke that they would have to get an intercom put in because they talked so much.”
The boating community has lost a dear friend. Friends may make memorial contributions to the Michael J. Fox Parkinson Research Foundation.