Obituary: Rock County, Wisconsin: Homer POTTER ************************************************************************ Submitted by Ruth Ann Montgomery, June 2005 © All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************************************ DEATH OF HOMER POTTER ONE OF THE BEST KNOWN CITIZENS OF THE CITY PASSES AWAY The death of Mr. Homer Potter occurred Saturday afternoon. While he had been in declining strength for some time it was not realized by his friends that the end was so near, as he was actively looking after the details of clsoing up his business only a few days previously. In him Evansville has lot one of its oldest and most loved citizens. Homer Potter was born March 17, 1830, in St. Albans, Vermont. When a child his parents moved to Michigan, where they lived for several years, later moving to Iowa. He married Miss Elizabeth Turner, Dec. 14, 1856, and to them were born three children. With his family he came to Evansville in 1867. His wife preceded him to God's summerland fourteen years ago last April--April 12, 1898. Two children survive him, Mrs. Kate Hanover, who, with no thought of self but all for her father, has cared for him so loyally the past year and a half and Nathan Potter, of Sun Prairie, Wis. Besides there is one granson, Earl, lately moved to Canada. Homer Potter was a Christian gentleman. He loved his Lord, he loved his family, his church, his friends. He loved everybody. No word of harsh, unkind, unfriendly criticism ever fell from his lips. He was a Christian gentleman--a gentle man. He interpreted life in terms of service rather than in terms of acquisition. With him life was not a chance to get but an opportunity to serve. From no merely worldly standpoint was his life a success, but every one who knew him intimately, and every one of the more than 700 Sunday school scholars in whose minds he strove to implant reverence, love, holy fear, trust and every enobling virtue, will bear witness to the fact, that, judged by the impact of life upon life, the moulding, directing, constructive, upbuilding influence of one life upon another, the standard of eternal values, his life was a splended success. Brother Potter's life was conclusive evidence, proof positive, that a man may face the battles, endure the disasters, and suffer the defeats of life, and yet lie down in his grave at last with a clean soul. This man went through the marring experiences of life, and yet his soul was itself unmarred. In this community his life is inseparably linked with the history of the Methodist Episcopal church and the work of the Sunday school particularly the primary department. From the records he left and the reports he made the following facts are outstanding: He began his Sunday school work in Iowa in 1855 with a class of boys numbering three. In ten years, the class had grown to thirteen. He came to Evansville in 1867 and in August, 1867 he took charge of the primary department of the Methodist church as a subsitute teacher. He expected to be relieved, but he wasn't. When he took the class there were thirteen members. He served continuously for over thirty years. On the thirtieth anniversary he made a report and this is found: Over 700 children had been regular members of the class; there had been 1,515 regular sessions; during the entire time he had been absent 86 times, 45 through sickness and 41 through being out of town; during that time more than 100 of the children had married making homes of their own and 81 had children born to them, and at that time, after thirty years of service, 35 of this second generation had been or were members of his primary department. This is but a faint, imperfect outline of this good man's life of unselfish service. He spent himself for others. Like his Master, "He went about doing good." The services were held at the Methodist Episcopal church Monday afternoon at two o'clock, conducted by his pastor, Rev. C. E. Coon. The floral offerings were many and very beautiful. The music was furnished by one-time members of his beloved class, Mrs. Gertrude Eager, Miss Fern Ball and Miss Leta Walton. The bearers were members of the Masonic fraternity of which he was a member, and the services at the grave were conducted by the fraternity. So God's finger touched him and he slept and we laid him away in the kindly arms of Mother Earth while the spirit that tenemented the house of clay returned to the Father who gave it. p. 1, col. 3 & 4, July 11, 1912, Evansville Review, Evansville, Wisconsin