Margaret Ann Potter

Margaret Ann Potter, 89, died peacefully early Saturday morning, December 9, 2017 at the Kroontje Health Care Center, Warm Hearth Village, in Blacksburg, VA, where she had been a resident since November 13. While her health had been declining in recent months, she had lived independently for many years in her home in Lawrenceville, VA, moving to Blacksburg in August 2017 to live with her son Peter and daughter-in-law Tracy Vosburgh, who both work at Virginia Tech. Born in Poughkeepsie, NY, on June 26, 1928, Margaret was the daughter of Joseph Kasmar and Florence Ehleider. Orphaned at an early age, she spent most of her youth in a foster home with her four siblings (Jean, Richard, Joseph, and James) until graduating from Millbrook High School in 1946. She attended the Bennett School for Girls, learning stenography and other skills that prepared her for an office job at the Sedgwick Machine Works in Poughkeepsie. On December 2, 1951, she married J. Lynn Potter, a beef cattle farmer from Millbrook, which changed her life in ways she probably never anticipated. With Lynn she had four sons, raising them with great patience, love, and resourcefulness throughout multiple moves to farms in upstate New York, finally relocating in 1978 to Virginia, where she and Lynn ultimately retired. Quick witted and quietly determined, Margaret loved gardening, reading newspapers and books, doing crossword puzzles, and visiting with friends and neighbors. She volunteered at a local nursing home and was a member of the Good Shepherd Catholic Church in South Hill, VA. Her husband Lynn predeceased her on October 18, 1992, as did her son Lynn G. Potter on June 1, 2011. She is survived by: son Russell Potter and wife Kathy of Land O’ Lakes, FL, and their daughter Sara Revello of Toms River, NJ; son Christopher Potter and wife Karen of Alberta, VA, and their daughter Kacey of Rice, VA; son Peter and wife Tracy of Blacksburg; as well as daughter-in-law Cindy Evelo of Houston, TX. A memorial service for Margaret is being planned for the new year in the Lawrenceville area. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Warm Hearth Village, 2387 Warm Hearth Drive, Blacksburg, VA 24060.