Elizabeth Porter

June 21, 1953 - March 12, 2020

Elizabeth Porter died on March 12, 2020 at 12:25 a.m. in Albany, NY, after a hard-fought battle with breast cancer. Her husband of 46 years was beside her as she took her last breath.

Elizabeth was born in Leningrad, Russia on June 21, 1953, an only child to Abram and Tsiva Brikker. She received a master’s degree from St. Petersburg Polytechnic University, known as the “MIT” of Russia, graduating top of her class. In 1979, at 26, Elizabeth, left Leningrad to start anew in the U.S. with her husband and two-year-old daughter. She held the singular hope of a better life for her family. Arriving in Brooklyn with little, she built a successful career as a computer programmer, retiring from GE in 2017, after 22 years there.

Elizabeth lived in Stamford for 23 years, where she raised two daughters. She took great pride in her children and was famous for her shining smile, feisty personality, boundless generosity and delicious home-made jam. She loved swimming in the lake behind her home. Nothing brought her greater joy than time spent with her grandsons. She was determined to meet her third grandchild, expected to be born in June.

Elizabeth saw much of the world, both as part of her career, and as an avid traveler. Prior to learning of her metastasized cancer, she was eagerly preparing a trip to Tahiti to celebrate her 45-year wedding anniversary. She never took this vacation, but spent her last months battling illness, her family close by. She is survived by her husband, daughters, two grandsons and a grand-baby six months in the making.

A grave-side service will be held on Sunday, March 15, at 1 p.m., at Temple Beth El Cemetery in Stamford, CT. Donations can be made in her honor to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center: bit.ly/InMemoryofElizabethPorter.

Arrangements are under the directions of Thomas M. Gallagher Funeral Home, Stamford, CT (203) 359-9999. For more information or to send condolences, please visit Gallagherfuneralhome.com