Holley community mourns loss of dedicated firefighter Mark Porter

Former joint fire district chairman also served on Village Board, School Board

Photo by Tom Rivers: The turnout gear for Mark Porter is set outside the Holley fire hall as a tribute to the long-time volunteer firefighter who passed away on Tuesday at the fire hall on Thomas Street. Porter also was active in the community with prior roles as chairman of the Murray Joint Fire District, a member of Holley Board of Education, and a village trustee.

HOLLEY – The Holley community and firefighters throughout the Orleans County are mourning the death of Mark Porter, a former Holley fire chief who was a commissioner for the Murray Joint Fire District.

Porter, 54, was found deceased in the fire hall on Tuesday. Porter spent many hours a week at the fire hall on Thomas Street.

“He was dedicated to everything he did, whether sports or the fire service,” said Kevin Dann, captain with the Murray Joint Fire District.

Porter retired in 2023 after 30 years with Monroe Ambulance as an EMT/dispatcher. He is a past fire chief for the Holley Fire Department and was elected commissioner of the Murray Joint Fire District, serving as its chairman. He also served as a Holley village trustee and a member of the Holley Board of Education.

Porter also was a wrestling and baseball coach, and was sports coordinator/director for Joint Youth Recreation in 2012.

“Mark gave so much of himself to this community with respect to his selfless service as a firefighter for many years,” Holley Mayor Mark Bower and Murray Town Supervisor Gerry Rightmyer said in a statement.

They noted his service on the Joint Youth Recreation, as a village trustee and Board of Education.

“As supervisor and mayor and on behalf of our two boards, we acknowledge what a loss this is to our community, to the fire district, and the Holley Volunteer Fire Department,” Bower and Rightmyer said. “Let us all take time to remember Mark and his many positive contributions to Murray and Holley.”

Photo by Tom Rivers: Murray Joint Fire District Chief Rick Cary, left, and Mark Porter, the fire district chairman at the time, are shown with the district’s new fire engine in this photo from January 2024. The fire district picked a white color for the truck, instead of red as part of an rebranding effort for the joint district, which includes the former Holley and Fancher-Hulberton-Murray districts.

Justin Niederhofer, the Orleans County Emergency Management director, noted zporter was the current EMS lieutenant and commissioner with the Murray Joint Fire District and a retired captain with Monroe Ambulance.

“Mark was a dedicated public servant who gave selflessly to his community through decades of leadership, compassion and commitment,” Niederhofer said. “His service touched countless lives, and his loss will be felt deeply across the first responder community. We honor his memory, his legacy, and his unwavering dedication to protecting and serving others.”

Porter was a proud graduate of Kendall Central School and served on the alumni committee.

He battled a serious case of Covid in 2021 that left him in a coma for 100 days. He rebounded and pushed hard to be home in time for Christmas Eve in 2021 to see a new grandchild.

“He would do anything for you, whether you were family or a friend,” said his niece, Shannon McMillion. “If he didn’t have an answer, he’d find it.”

Porter is survived by his wife Rose, three children and five grandchildren.

There are calling hours at the Christopher Mitchell Funeral Home in Holley on Saturday, April 26, from 3 to 7 p.m. with his funeral service on Sunday, April 27, at 11 a.m. at the funeral home.