SMSGT Robert Lewis Potter, USAF Retired, age 82, of Warsaw, the husband of Harriette M. Potter, died on June 12, 2016. Mr. Potter was a member of Calvary United Methodist Church in Emmerton and was a past Chairman of the Administrative Board. He also held other positions in the church. He was a member of VFW Post 7167 and it’s Commander from 2006 through 2011. Mr. Potter was also a member of the Callao Royal Order of the Moose, the Air Force Sergeant Association and was past President of the Folly Neck Hunt Club. Robert loved deer hunting and had a number of deer dogs which he claimed were the best in the country. He also loved NASCAR and dirt track racing at Virginia Motor Speedway.
Mr. Potter entered the United States Air Force in December 1951 and retired in March 1975 with the rank of Senior Master Sergeant. During his service, he saw duties in Korea in 1952 and throughout Southeast Asia from 1967 through 1970. Robert received many awards and decorations including the Meritorious Service Medal for his service in Southeast Asia from 24 December 1967 to December 1970. He received a second Meritorious Service Medal with First Oak Leaf Cluster for Outstanding Service as non-commission officer in charge of Record Communication Division HQ TAC Communications Area at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia from 30 December 1970 to 28 February 1975. Upon his retirement from the Air Force, Mr. Potter went to work with the Virginia Department of Corrections, retiring in 1995 as a Lieutenant.
He is survived by his wife, Harriette M. Potter; a son, Robert E. Potter and his wife Virginia; three daughters, Linda A Sokol of Warsaw, Sharron M. Hart and husband David of Sandston, and Patsy C. Edwards and husband Roger of Mechanicsville; six grandchildren; two step grandchildren, two great-grandsons and three great-granddaughters. Robert was preceded in death by his mother and father, Cline and Booker Potter and a granddaughter, April Marie “Sweet” Hart.
A funeral service will be held on Wednesday, June 15, 2016 at 11:00 am at Calvary United Methodist Church with interment to follow in the church cemetery.
The family will receive friends on Tuesday, June 14, 2016 from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm at the Welch Funeral Home, Marks Chapel, 10300 Richmond Road, Warsaw, Virginia.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Animal Welfare League, P. O. Box 975, Kilmarnock, Virginia, 22578 and the American Heart Association, 4217 Park Place Court, Glen Allen, Virginia, 23060.
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