Porter, Mary A. (Mary Ashby), 1910-2005

Mary A. Porter (1910-2005) was a Mormon woman in Utah and Delaware.

Mary Ena Ashby Porter was born on July 30, 1910 to Robert L. and Hannah Cropper Ashby in American Fork, Utah. She graduated with a teaching degree from Brigham Young University in 1932, and then began teaching in Salina, Elsinore, and American Fork. Two years later, in 1934, she married E. Wesley Porter in Brooklyn, New York. They were later sealed in the Los Angeles Temple. In 1937 the Porters moved to Syracuse, New York, where they had their only child, Lee Ashby Porter. They later moved to Wilmington, Delaware, which would become their home for thirty-six years. Mary was a ward Relief Society president, counselor in the district Relief Society presidency, and first Relief Society president when the new Philadelphia Stake was created. In addition to her church callings, Mary loved to garden and grew over 150 African violets for which she won prizes for at the State Flower Show. In 1978 the Porters moved to Provo, Utah. They were supporters of Brigham Young University and even created a scholarship fund for students in the Marriott School of Management. Porter passed away in Provo, Utah on April 24, 2005.

The Porters were a Mormon family in Delaware and Utah. E. Wesley Porter (1909-1991) was an accountant for DuPont Company in Wilmington, Delaware. His wife, Mary Ashby Porter (1910-2005), was a teacher and women's organization leader. The Porters were both graduates of Brigham Young University, and were supportive of the university. They had one child, Lee Ashby Porter.

E. Wesley Porter (1909-1991) was a Mormon accountant in Delaware and Utah.

Ezra Wesley Porter was born on March 18, 1909 in Porterville, Utah to Adria Rich and Hyrum Kilbourn Porter. He graduated from Morgan High School, and then attended Brigham Young University. While a student he played on the varsity tennis team and in the orchestra. He graduated with a degree in business management in 1930. He then moved to New York, where he worked at an accounting firm while attending New York University. He married Mary Ashby on June 23, 1934 in Brooklyn, New York.

Porter worked in accounting in Syracuse, New York before taking a job with the DuPont Company. During his career he also served on the research committee of the national accounting standards board. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he also served in the Eastern States Mission Sunday School presidency. After his retirement he moved to Utah in 1978. There he continued his service in the Church, and maintained an active life. He died on October 21, 1991 in Provo, Utah.

From the guide to the Mary A. Porter family papers, 1925-2002, 2005, (L. Tom Perry Special Collections)