Dr. Erin Porter Sansom

Erin Porter Sansom, PhD, 69, retired UT professor, died Saturday April 30, 2011 after a lengthy illness. She was born, Mary Erin Porter, on February 4, 1942 in Mathis, TX, the youngest of four children to L.T. Porter and Erin Massey Porter in Mathis, TX. Throughout her life she went by many names, Baby, Mary, Ee, Memo, Erin and Dr. Porter, to fit the many roles in her life. She was an educator, author, business owner, sister, wife, aunt, step-mother, grandmother and much more. Erin left her hometown of Mathis, TX upon graduation from high school to attend the University of Texas in Austin. She earned her Bachelor’s, Master’s and doctorate degree from UT. Loving the central Texas area, Erin chose to live in Austin the remainder of her life, except for one short-lived detour to Lubbock, TX to teach at Texas Tech University. Erin taught many years at the Southwest Texas State University in San Marcos, TX. She left the education field for a while to run a business and become a real estate agent. She returned to teaching at the University of Texas, where she remained until she retired in 2010. Erin married the love of her life, Robert Sansom, on January 24, 1987. They were married 24 years, and in that time, celebrated the birth of seven grandchildren. Erin was preceded in death by her parents and her brother, Thomas Porter, Jr. She is survived by her husband, Bob Sansom, of Austin, and 3 step-children: Amanda Gentry and her husband Robert; Melissa Jones and her husband Jeff; and Trace Sansom and his wife Tricia. Also surviving are 7 grandchildren; Allen and Alexandra Castilla, Vanessa, Killen, and Olivia Jones, & Cade and Ryder Sansom. In addition to numerous friends and former students, Erin is survived by her sister Elizabeth Duke of Atlanta, GA and her brother Charlie Porter of Mathis, TX and numerous beloved nieces and nephews. A celebration of Erin’s life will be held Monday, May 9, 2011 in the auditorium at Zilker Botanical Garden; 2220 Barton Springs Rd. Austin, TX from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm. Extra parking will be available on Stratford Dr. with a walk through the Rose Garden to the auditorium. The family suggests that in lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the American Heart Association.