C. Wayne Porter (Wayne), age 62, was surrounded by several family members when he passed away at home on December 30, 2022, following two and a half years of treatment for glioblastoma (brain cancer).
Wayne was preceded in death by his parents, Arthur L. and Almeda Porter and two of his older siblings: Eunicetine (Eunice) Franklin-Pharr and Henry Franklin. He is survived by his wife of 36 years, Rainelle Sizemore; his siblings and their families: Leonard Charles, Larry, Judith Pharr, Pearl Smith, Leonard Franklin, Emmons, Terrence, Arthelle (Don Burns), Dennis, Gary, Kendall, Teresa (Stanley Himes) and David (Dawn Graham Porter); his Sizemore family in-laws and a host of long-time friends.
Wayne loved music from an early age and expressed his passion by playing percussion and drums, first with his older brothers, and then joining up with other musicians as a young adult. While Wayne’s first love was jazz, he did not limit himself to a specific musical genre and took advantage of opportunities to play with a variety of musicians in the Oakland/San Francisco Bay Area and in Seattle.
After he and Rainelle relocated to Seattle, Wayne began working as the primary painter in the maintenance department at The Pike Place Market PDA in 1995. Wayne loved his job, and he loved being part of The Market Community!
Wayne continued to hone his skills as a musician - playing live at venues & festivals, small and large, across the Puget Sound region with singer-songwriters, Midnite Walk (a collaboration that included his older brother Emmons), Soul’d Out, Deadwax, The Travis Hartnett Trio, On The Rock, and Sing Low Indigo, to name a few, as well as jamming and/or recording with a variety of musicians. Over the years, Wayne used his ear for music to recruit bands for several of the Pike Place Market festivals, The Pike Place Market Centennial celebration, as well as fundraising events hosted by The Market Foundation, including Sunset Supper at the Market.
Wayne was an easy-going, friendly, caring, and funny person who loved his family and friends. For all who knew him, Wayne will be greatly missed.
The family wishes to extend their appreciation and admiration for the medical professionals at UW Medical Center Montlake & UW Medical Northwest and Alvord Brain Tumor Center, the home health therapists, and the amazing home hospice caregivers.
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to one of the following nonprofit organizations in Wayne’s memory:
- Oakland
- • Seattle
A celebration of Wayne’s life will take place in Oakland, California on Saturday, March 11, 2023, from 2p-6p at Geoffrey’s Inner Circle Banquet Hall, and in Seattle, Washington on Saturday, March 18, 2023, from 3p-7:30p at the Pike Market Senior Center.