Lela Mary (Scaptura) Potter, 83, of Hector, NY passed quietly into the arms of our Lord to join her beloved husband in the early hours of April 4th, 2017 at the home of her daughter and son-in-law in Maineville, OH.
She will be dearly missed by beloved sons, Jim (Linda) Potter and Rick (Ann Marie) Potter of North Carolina; daughter, Mary Jo (Mike) Gates of Ohio; grandchildren, Alexandria (Matt) Oblinsky, Jake (Kali), Richard (Kareena), Jaimie and Nikki Potter, Christine (Sean) Brinkman and Elizabeth and Matthew Gates; 5 great-grandchildren, Sean James and Rogan Brinkman, Ella and Miles Oblinsky, and James Potter; sisters-in-law Lana (John) Potter and Joan (John) Omara.
She was preceded in death by her loving husband of 54 years, Charles ‘Bud’ Potter and parents, Jim and Marian Scaptura.
Mom, Lela, grandma or GG was an ever so wonderful wife, mother, grandma and friend. Lela was born March 30th, 1934 in Montour Falls, NY. She worked for the Watkins Glen Village office after graduating from WGHS and until her marriage to the love of her life ’Bud’ on the third of September 1955 after which the young couple resided in Poughkeepsie, NY until moving to Vestal, NY in 1964.
Since 1958 she has spent her life being the best mom her three children could ask for. In addition, she was “mom” to many of the neighborhood kids in both Vestal and during summers in Valois and volunteered as the girl’s gym teacher at OLS elementary school in Vestal for several years.
In 1973, she joined ‘The Present Co.’ department store for over twenty years until retiring in 1994. In retirement, she enjoyed traveling – mostly to grandchildren’s births, Baptisms, Confirmations and graduations. As you can tell, her underlying motivation was her family and she will be deeply missed by all of them.
Services will be held on Saturday April 8th 2017 at St. Mary’s of the Lake Catholic Church in Watkins Glen, NY. Visitation beginning at 11 am will be followed by Mass at 12 pm and a luncheon after Mass. The family has requested that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to St. Mary’s Catholic Church, 905 N Decatur St, Watkins Glen, NY 14891, the Hector Fire Department, 5736 NY-414, Hector, NY 14841, or Hospice of Cincinnati (hospiceofcincinnati.org/). Arrangements with Royce-Chedzoy Funeral Home, Watkins Glen. Online Condolences may be expressed at www.RoyceChedzoy.com