Julian Donald Porter

Julian (Jay) Porter died peacefully on May 1st at Overlake Terrace Assisted Living. He was born on January 19, 1919, in Pleasanton, KS, where he grew up. He was a graduate of Baker University in Baldwin, KS, before entering World War II during which he served for the duration of the war as a lieutenant in the Navy. After the war, he went to work for Northwestern Mutual Insurance (later renamed Unigard Insurance), where he spent his entire work career. He ended his tenure as Unigard’s CEO and Chairman of the Board. Porter was active in the Seattle business community and many local organizations, and served as president of several, which include the Washington Athletic Club, the Downtown Rotary Club, and the Downtown Seattle Association. He loved the game of baseball, and in support of the Seattle Mariners co-founded the RBI Club (Real Baseball Involvement) as a business support group.

Porter is survived by three children (Nancy Jane Eller of Redmond; Richard Kent Porter of Kent; and Cynthia Ann Kuehny of Seattle), four grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. A fourth child, Bradley Deforest Porter, passed away in 2005. Porter was married to Martha Jane Parkhurst Porter for 56 years before her passing in February of 2001.