Edward Paul Potanka

Edward Paul Potanka passed away on May 13, 2025 with his loving family at his side. The son of Joe and Jean Potanka, Ed grew up in Avon, CT with his siblings, Joe, Paul, and Jean. Ed was a prolific builder who faced any challenge with confidence and enthusiasm. He first built a baseball diamond in his backyard, which grew into an illustrious pitching career at Avon High School and a baseball scholarship to Amherst College. Amherst was a special place to Ed; he regaled history lessons from his professors decades later. Ed proudly served in the US Marine Corps Reserve while attending Cornell Law School. Cornell laid the foundation for building a decades-long career at CIGNA, where he ultimately served as chief counsel. At CIGNA, Ed met Anita, his wife of 48 years. Ed, a self-taught architect and his father's carpentry apprentice, single-handedly designed and built their dream home in Simsbury, CT, trading his legal briefcase for a toolbox on nights and weekends. In this home, Ed and Anita built a family, raising their four daughters, Christy, Kelly, Lindsay, and Jenny. Ed was a dad that could, and did, do everything: bedtime-story-teller, basketball coach, piano-page-turner, essay-editor. He encouraged his children to "shine like the star that you are," imparted the value of hard work, and inspired them to follow in his footsteps to Amherst College. Ed built a wonderful family tradition of summers at Island View Beach in Westbrook, CT. He served as the Association President for decades and was famous for his spirited Fourth of July speeches. Ed and Anita moved to "the beach" full time, drawing their adult children home every summer weekend - eventually with 8 adoring grandchildren in tow: Kenzie, Tenley, Ryan, Riley, Connor, Teddy, Oliver, and Sawyer. He spent his retirement years doting on his beloved grandchildren who knew him as "Papa" - baseball legend, banana lover, accordion player, sideline supporter, history buff, and teacher. Ed built a legacy that lives on through his family. His proud smile will be dearly remembered. Father Lawrence Bock, Ed's mentor as an altar boy and officiant at his marriage, will celebrate a private mass in his memory.