Martin E. Potts

Martin E. Potts of Upper Arlington, Ohio, passed away peacefully at home on October 12th, 2024 at the age of 87, surrounded by his family and his wife of 65 years, Phyllis Demarco Potts.

In 1959, Martin and Phyllis were married in their hometown of Bellaire, Ohio and together they raised two sons, Christopher Potts, Gregory Potts and two daughters, Leslie Welsh (Robert) and Jennifer Dennis (David), who all survive him. His grandchildren called him " Gaga" and were the joy of his life. He had close relationships with all twelve of them. Martin is also survived by 10 great grandchildren, his brothers Richard (Diane) and Eddie (Sandy), and his sister Carol (Frank). He is preceded in death by Greg's wife, Leslie Sandor Potts, and his brother James, sister Jane and his parents, Edwin and Elizabeth Potts.



Martin graduated from Bellaire High School in 1955 and would often fondly remember his time as a high school athlete playing football and basketball for "The Big Red". After being in the Air Force, attending Long Island University and The Ohio State University, he was an executive for IBM, Gold Circle and Federated Department Stores. Fulfilling his lifelong entrepreneurial spirit, Martin created and owned two companies. First, RDG ( Retail Design Group) and later Potts Companies, which developed commercial real estate. He continued to work right up until the end of his life, closing his last deal this past June. Additionally, together with his wife, they opened a bookstore called The First Page with locations in Westerville and Cincinnati, Ohio.

His most cherished times were at the beach house in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina with his family, having parties around his pool in Ohio and taking care of his beloved dogs. Martin loved science, nature, animals, classical music and seafood. He will always be remembered for his unique and tenacious personality, his strong motivational drive and his underlying sentimentality. He liked to call himself an iconoclast, a non conformist who would strike his own path. To the end, he did just that and lived his life on his own terms.

Martin signed up in 2011 to be part of the donation program at The Ohio State School of Medicine and Division of Anatomy. We know he is honored to make this contribution to the advancement of the medical sciences.