Marcia I. Porter

Marcia Isabelle Seymour Diehl Porter died on December 7, 2023. Resting with eyes closed and holding hands with loved ones, she drew her last breaths slowly and went gently. Jim Masterson, her long-term love and life partner, was by her side.

Marcia was born in Baltimore, Maryland on November 25, 1939 to Marian Isabelle Watkins (5 June 1904 – 9 November 1956) and Elmer Allen Seymour (18 November 1908 – 8 August 2002) of Westhampton, Massachusetts. She had a brother, Warren, now deceased (wife Doris, deceased, survived by two sons, Randy and Anthony). She leaves behind her sister, Irma J. Seymour Wladkowski (husband, Stephen, deceased; daughter, Stacey (husband Mark, and daughters, Lily and Grace). Marcia, Warren, and Irma grew up on Foxhall Farm in Catonsville, Maryland where Elmer was a nationally known head herdsman.

Later in life, half-sister Carol Carter (now deceased), daughter of Marian Isabelle made contact with and was embraced by family.

Marcia married Kenneth Richard Diehl (deceased 22 October, 2023) on January 29, 1956. Together they had five children, one of whom, Tammy Lee, was lost in a car accident 2 February, 1980. Surviving children are Debbie Y. Wolff and husband Doug; Vicky Lynn Kaiser and husband Mark; Kenneth Steven and wife Sammy (Virginia); and Richard Alan and wife Debi.

Grandmommy Marcia loved and was loved by all her grandchildren and she regretted not being able to see her great and her great, great grandchildren more often. Grandmommy gifts were received with interest and humor. She leaves behind Jailyn Moreland (husband, Michael Peter and son, Calum); Marissa Barbadoro (husband, Nick); Christopher Brickman (wife, Julie Goldberg and daughters, Emma and Lila); Stephanie Blake, Marcia’s first grandchild, (husband Paco, daughters Anna Morton (husband, Miles, their sons, Pierce and Oliver) and Elizabeth Kasner (husband, Collin) and son, Alex; Brad Diehl (wife, Shannon and sons, Adam and Mathew); Mathew Diehl (wife, Erin and children, Christopher and Autumn) and Alicia Wilkinson (husband, Clarence and children, Rebekah and Clarence, IV); and twins, Brandon and Brandy Diehl (daughter, Faith).

Marcia raised her kids, continued her education, worked for years as an assistant teacher, divorced Ken Diehl, married Wayne Porter (deceased), and worked as clerk of the Norfolk Juvenile Court in Virginia. During her years in Virginia Beach she hosted family for holiday meals and summer vacations.

Grandmommy and beach were synonymous! Her spirit animal was surely the dolphin.

Also, during this time in her life, those in the know could tell you the importance of “3” to her!

After the trials and tribulations of her middle years, Marcia found “home” in Florida, not as a snowbird, but as a native: sun and sand, crop tops and sandals with flowers, feeding herons and egrets in the backyard, wind chimes on the lanai, motorcycling and camping in the Keys. She grabbed hold of the life she wanted and lived it with just a bit of rebellion, without apology. She grabbed “the Tail of the Dragon” on the back of a motorcycle. She celebrated her last birthday in the Keys.

She also found her family of friends there. She was not just respected, but honored. She was loved and will be well remembered by Phyllis, Jerry, RC, Kat, Reggie, and a host of other “regulars”. And, by her side for everything, Jim loved her, tended to her health, and included her children in important decisions. We are forever grateful for the role he played in her life and especially want to acknowledge his grief.

Family and friends will gather at Springfield Cemetery in Sykesville, Maryland on 17 February 2024 to remember Marcia. Her ashes and those of her daughter, Tammy, will find their final resting place in the grave of Isabelle.

Amen.