Nancy Marie (Ham) Potter (1934-2016)

POTTER, HAM, NICKSAY, BERGEN, JACOBS, HOUSER, THOMPSON

Posted By: Mark Christian
Date: 7/3/2016 at 13:16:43

Obituary from Elkhart Cremation Services, Elkhart, Indiana.

Nancy Marie Potter
(January 22, 1934 - June 21, 2016)

Nancy Potter, 82, died peacefully on June 21. Nancy was married to Bill Potter for 55 happy years until his death in 2009 and was the much-loved mother to four girls: Carin, Kristen, Gretchen and Carolyn. Nancy’s greatest joy in life was showing hospitality, opening her home and preparing meals to share with anyone willing to join in the fun. She was also inspired to teach others about the love of Jesus. She served as teaching leader for Bible Study Fellowship, in St. Louis, Des Moines and Ames IA, and finally in St. Joseph MI. She loved sharing the message of God’s gift of forgiveness and salvation through His Son Jesus Christ. Nancy was born to George E. and Mary Louise Ham in Boston on January 22, 1934. She attended Radcliffe College where she met Bill, a graduate student at Harvard Business School. Leaving college early for marriage and a move to Pittsburgh, Nancy eventually finished her B.A. at U of Missouri, St. Louis, in 1974. Many vacation days were spent either at Lake Michigan or making long cross country drives to ensure her family enjoyed the beauty of this country. Ice skating, skiing, canoeing, hiking the Grand Canyon, creating holiday costumes, card games, crossword puzzles, and crocheting/knitting a multitude of projects, were among her many accomplishments and pastimes.

Life and work took Nancy and Bill from Pittsburgh to St. Louis and then to Ames IA, where Nancy served as Bill’s executive assistant when he started his own engineering firm. The couple eventually retired to South Haven MI near the family’s summer cottage in Palisades Park. Nancy is survived by her brother-in-law, Don Nicksay, and children Carin (Clay) Bergen of Regina, Sask., Canada; Kristen (John) Jacobs of Granger IN; Gretchen (Jerry) Houser of Ames IA; and Carolyn (Peter) Thompson of Sun Prairie WI. She also leaves behind 12 grandchildren, 4 great grandchildren and a “heritage of faithfulness passed on through a Godly life.” (Steve Green). A memorial celebration of Nancy's life will take place in Iowa at a later date. Online condolences can be posted at www.elkhartcremation.com

Our family expresses deep gratitude to Nancy's loving caregivers at Brookdale Granger including Vickie, Tammy, Diane, Amber, Jade, Eboni, Morgan, Amy, Tonya, Janice, Carolyn, and other dedicated staff. In Nancy's memory, contributions to Outreach for World Hope, will relieve hunger in the Guatemalan highlands http://www.outreachforworldhope.org.