Syl Porter

Syl Porter, 75, of Eustis, went to be with the Lord on Saturday, October 14, 2017. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, community leader and Christian servant. Syl was born in Westchester County, New York, where she lived until moving to Eustis in 1961. She first came to Eustis in 1955 to visit family in the summers, and married the love of her life, the boy next door, David W. Porter in 1961. She and David owned Porter's Cameras, Cards and Gifts in downtown Eustis beginning in 1980, as the third generation of family ownership. She loved working with her husband and she had an entrepreneurial spirit. Syl believed in serving and giving back to the community in a wide range of different organizations to benefit the City of Eustis, Lake County, and Central Florida. She was a founding member of Eustis Main Street. She volunteered many long days in securing a nation-wide Main Street designation for Eustis. She was a good negotiator, always willing to share the credit for successes. Syl served the Eustis Chamber of Commerce where she was a former Director, and President. She worked hard, overcame challenges, and left the Chamber with a great reputation. She was also a former Chairwoman of the Washington’s Birthday Festival, and Orange Queen for the 1997 Washington's Birthday Parade. Syl was the Chairwoman of the City of Eustis Beautification Committee, which made noteworthy improvements to Ferran Park. Syl has been a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Eustis since moving to Florida. She served as an Elder for six years, Chairwoman of the Presbytery Christian Education Committee, Board Member of the Presbytery Council, and Presbytery New Church Development Committee. Of all her roles in the church, however, her favorite was being a youth leader, which she did from 1975 to 1981. Syl had a heart for "her kids" and was a fast confidant and mentor for many teens, and remained close to many of them through the years. Among her favorite memories were youth trips to the College of the Ozarks, Puerto Rico, and the Duvall Home. She was a member of the Gamma Theta Chapter of Epsilon Sigma Alpha sorority and maintained life-long friendships with many of her sisters. Syl served her sorority as President twice, Treasurer once, Chairwoman of the Saint Jude Bike Ride, and was the Pledge of the Year for the State of Florida. Syl was a member of the Junior Woman’s Club of Eustis, and was a beloved "swim Mom" for the Eustis Swim Association. Syl was a world traveler with an adventurous streak. She loved vacationing with friends and family throughout the United States and Europe, as well as Egypt, Dubai, Morocco, Iceland, Indonesia, Tunisia and the South Pacific. She and Dave regularly loaded into their RV and hit the road, where they never failed to make friends along the way. She has inspired and will forever be loved by friends and family, including her devoted husband of 56 years, David W.; Sons: David T. (Sue) Porter Sr. of Mount Dora, FL and Michael J. (Cristina) Porter of Geneva, Switzerland; Sisters, Joyce Bucciarelli of Ridgefield, CT, and Carole Strasser of Morganton, NC; Brother, Jeff DiMarzo of Mount Dora, FL; Grandsons, David T. Porter Jr. and Joshua Porter; and Great-Grandchildren, Haley, Cameron, Caiden, and Miles. Services to Celebrate Syl’s life will be held at the First Presbyterian Church of Eustis on Sunday, October 22, 2017 at 2:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the First Presbyterian Church, 117 S Center St, Eustis, FL 32726 or to Cornerstone Hospice Foundation, 2445 Lane Park Road, Tavares, FL 32778. Online Guestbook is available at www.hardenpauli.com Arrangements by Harden/Pauli Funeral Home, Eustis.