Brett Thomas Porter

Brett Thomas Porter, 59, of Towson, Maryland passed away peacefully on June 4th, 2025, surrounded by family after a long, valiant fight against various chronic illnesses. Born December 19th, 1965, in Batavia, NY, he was the son of the late Thomas and Eileen Charles Porter and the loving husband of Sara Porter (nee Pettegrew) and supportive father of Kate and Eli Porter.
He lived a life of quiet dignity, ready with a smile, slap on the back, and a profound sense of how to make everyone around him feel better about themselves, even when he didn't feel his best.
Brett and Sara were married on August 26, 1995, in Huron, Ohio. Although he was from Upstate New York and she from Ohio, they built a happy, committed life in Towson, MD. Brett was the first full-time athletic trainer at St. Paul's School, hired in 1990 where he worked faithfully for 21 years. He also taught lower school physical education. He quickly earned the nickname "Doc" and although he wasn't a doctor, he understood that a degree in sports medicine, a dash of TLC, being an athlete himself, and an occasional simple instruction of RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation) got players back on the field quickly. His nickname was more for his sunny disposition, listening ear, and quick dry wit as much as for his expertise.
While athletic trainer was his vocation, his avocation was being a calm model of kindness, steadiness, and empathy. His first thoughts were about those around him, what he could do to improve their lives. Even though the athletes he worked with directly were hurting and injured, they called him Doc out of respect and love.
In addition to his years at St. Paul's, he worked for eight more years at The Calvert School in Baltimore, Maryland, adding elementary and middle school-aged students. Not surprisingly, he was just as good with the younger kids as he was the older ones.
Brett was more than a trainer and educator. He grew up in Henrietta, NY and was a proud member of the Tonawanda Seneca Nation (wolf clan). His Native American heritage was a quiet yet important part of him. He gave regular presentations about the Haudenosaunee culture to both lower and middle schoolers at St. Paul's.
A talented swimmer, he held several high school and college records. He graduated from SUNY Brockport in 1988 and continued graduate work at Loyola University. A sports enthusiast, Brett enjoyed playing water polo, golf (not as good as he thought he was), lacrosse and was a lifelong Houston Oilers/Tennessee Titans fan. In recent years, even though dependent upon a wheelchair, road tripped to Pittsburgh to see his beloved Titans play the Steelers, completely decked out in Titan paraphernalia. Not only did Steeler fans respect him, but many also complimented him on his courage for wearing the "enemy's" colors in their home stadium. A couple of years later, he took to the road again to see the Titans in Nashville.
He was an avid reader, particularly of Stephen King. He loved crime, fantasy, and murder mystery novels. He really liked books that were long, oftentimes more than 1,000 pages. He played a mean hand of cards, collected comics, and watched films with his family. He watched superhero movies repeatedly, enjoying a friendly conversation with his children about them. He was one of the first to understand how important Disney's purchase of the Star Wars franchise was.
Brett maintained strong, lasting friendships that provided real support and companionship over the years. He had devoted friends from every facet of his life: Henrietta, college, graduate school, lacrosse, swimming, St. Paul's, Calvert, and the thousands of students he mentored and cared for.
Surviving Brett are his loving children Kate and Eli, his wife Sara, and his sister Leeann Trojanczyk (Steve), brother Matthew Porter (Debbie), brother-in-law Ed (Hallie), five nieces and nephews Carrie, Sara, Bowman, George, and Millicent, and his in-laws Ed and Sandra Pettegrew.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 12, at 2 pm at the St. Paul's Chapel.
Donations in Brett's memory can be made to the American Indian College Fund or American Kidney Fund.
Please consider making an appointment to donate blood to the Red Cross. You may find a blood drive in your area by clicking https://www.redcrossblood.org/
Online condolences may be expressed at www.ElineFuneralHome.com