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George Porter Obituary
George was born to George Sr. and Sara, and spent his formative years in Latham, NY. After graduating from Christian Brothers Academy in Albany, NY, he attended the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in English.
George's career spanned over 40 years in the apparel industry. He began his career with The Arrow Shirt Company in New York City. In1974 he joined Levi Strauss & Co. and ultimately dedicated 23 years to their success. At Levi he held various significant roles including President of the company's Worldwide Sourcing Division, and President of Levi's USA. George also contributed his expertise on a global scale. He served as a US Government Advisor to the US Ambassador during the GATT trade negotiations, helping shape international trade policies. In 1997, George joined Nike Inc., where he held the position of corporate Vice President and President of Nike USA.
Later in life, George enjoyed serving on several Boards of Directors within the apparel and wine industries. He was especially proud of his involvement with Luna Vineyards in Napa, CA. After surviving a major heart attack, George vowed to give back to the hospital system that cared for him and saved his life. He proudly joined the Queen of the Valley Hospital Foundation in 2014, serving in multiple volunteer roles and finally as Director in 2018 and 2019.
George is preceded in death by his parents, George and Sara. He is survived by his wife, Kali Flowers-Porter, his daughter Elizabeth (Steven) Epstein, his son Bud (Michelle) Porter, his cherished granddaughters Julia, Nina, Paloma, and Raquel as well as his step-daughter Erin Rietow-Petrosian and his step-daughter Aleson (Kevin) Waterhouse-Rietow, young grandsons Kosta and Keanu, his sister Mary (Thomas) Donnelly and eight nieces and nephews.
George made a lasting impression on people with his generosity, kindness, and infectious laughter. He was principled, a pillar of strength, a source of guidance and a constant source of inspiration to those who knew him. He was especially close with his family, entertaining them with stories of his world travels and telling jokes in perfect Irish brogue. George loved traveling and visited over eighty countries in his lifetime. He was a voracious reader, a lover of wine, golf, country music and NY Times crosswords. He was greatly respected and loved and will be deeply missed by his family, friends, colleagues and all those whose lives he touched.
The family requests those who wish to express sympathy to consider donating to The American Cancer Society to honor George.
George T Porter
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Memories and Condolences
for George Porter
4 Entries
Beth Epstein
October 10, 2023
I´m glad that my Dad left such a lasting impression on so many people. I wrote his obituary hoping to honor him and his accomplishments. Of course there is limited space to do so.
My dad was an amazing man. His integrity and his loyalty were second to none. He often spoke about the friends that he made over the years. Truly, he never had a bad thing to say about anybody. He cherished his friendships, and he maintained those friendships, some for as long as 40 years.
My dad was the life of the party, the boss who went to bat for the people who worked for him, the guy who got things done, and the man who told it like it was. I learned so much from him. I was so proud of him.
Thankfully, I was there with him at the end . And I want all of his friends to know that I told him how much you all loved him and how desperately you tried to communicate with him and see him. He valued you and he loved you and believe me, he heard me and he knew that you all were pulling for him! God bless you and thank you! He will never forgot you and either will I.
Warmest regards,
Beth (Porter) Epstein
Flemington, New Jersey
Tom Thompson
October 9, 2023
I thought George and I were worlds apart, until one day we had a conversation about our 1st job in apparel. He was with Arrow and I
with Van Heusen and we both knew some of the same people. Our world became closer. RIP George
Mike Humphrey
October 9, 2023
George and I became Regional Sales Mgrs at the same time. He was in New York and I was San Francisco. We visited each other and took a couple of family trips together. He was one of the brightest individuals I ever knew. RIP old friend.
Erica Valentine
October 8, 2023
George brought fun to the party. He got us hooked on his Trivia Nights which inspired us to start one when we moved out of California. A great human being. Our love goes out to Kali and family. Erica and Michael, now living in France (forever).
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