Patricia Joy (Horton) Potter

Patricia Joy (Horton) Potter, mother to Pamela Joy (Steve) Hennessey, of Springville, UT, Thomas James, Jr. (Melanee) of Salt Lake City, UT, and Tricia Jacklene (Justin) Reider of Fort Worth, TX, passed peacefully from this earth on April 5, 2023 in her home in Taylorsville, UT. She was 80 years old.

Our mother was born on December 26, 1942, in Afton, WY, in the beautiful Star Valley to Jack C. and Elaine (Gardner) Horton. Her earliest childhood memories were of her daddy teaching her to shoot with a .22 short rifle that belonged to her grandma and going on business trips with him to Las Vegas, her mother reading to her, making her beautiful dresses and going to the penny candy store with her twin brothers when they were little. When she was a child she dreamed of living with Roy Rogers and Dale Evans in the summers, and having her own horse.

Her family moved around quite a bit while she was little and she shared many stories of living in Overton, NV. She began first grade in Derby, CO, before moving to Alma, NE. They lived briefly in a tiny home in Afton, WY, behind her great-grandparents, Bruce (Elizabeth) Gardner who was the son of Mormon Pioneer, Archibald (Mary Larsen) Gardner. She spoke often about her treasured memories with grandparents and great-grandparents like making dolls from Hollyhock flowers, fishing and picnics along the Greys River, and hiking to the intermittent spring up Swift Creek. Her family moved to Diamondville, WY, when she was in fourth grade and she was one of the first to attend the brand new Burgoon School. She attended Kemmerer High School where she was actively involved in band, drama, twirling, cheerleading, PEP Club, Latin Club, yearbook staff and The National Honor Society. She was the First Attendant at Homecoming and Past Honored Queen in the International Order of Job's Daughters. Mom absolutely loved everything about the '50s from the fashion, to the movies and music, and everything in between.

After high school she attended one year at the University of Wyoming where she was involved in the sorority Chi Omega.

She moved to Pasadena, CA, in 1963 where she worked at Universal Studios. Two of her favorite memories were meeting Cary Grant and working for Francis "Frank" Ford Coppola who is best known for directing The Rain People (1969), co-writing Patton (1970) and his Academy Award winning The Godfather (1972) to name a few. Mr. Coppola would personally request mom to do all of his screenplay dictation when he flew from New York to Los Angeles. Apparently Al Lewis (the actor who played Grandpa Munster in the original Addams Family television series) used to flirt quite a bit with our beautiful mother, which we still giggle about today. While mom was living her best life in Pasadena, she also made her television debut as a contestant on the game show, By The Numbers.

Mom married our father, Thomas James Potter, Sr., on October 6, 1965 in Frontier, Wyoming. They were later sealed for time and eternity on February 15, 1975, in the LDS Ogden Temple.

She was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and held many callings over the years including, MIA camp and drama director, Relief Society First Counselor, and Sunday School teacher. Her faith was always important to her, and she carried a deep love and appreciation for her pioneer heritage. She admired the fortitude and inner strength of the women who came before her, particularly; her third great-grandmother, Elizabeth (Rutledge) Utley who died along the Platte River from Cholera on the trek westward and was buried two days travel beyond Independence Rock, which is now the State of Wyoming and her second great-grandmother, Mary (Larsen) Gardner, who crossed the plains mostly barefoot at age eight, often carrying her six year-old-brother, Andrew, piggyback to give him respite.

Mom was an exemplary public speaker, and was involved with the Toastmasters International until she retired. She was also a member of the masonic fraternal Order of Eastern Star. She had many interesting career experiences having worked for the Lincoln County Attorney, Nursing Services at the Wyoming State Hospital, the USDA, the US Forest Service, the Chief Clerk at Utah Power in Light (21 years), transcription and billing in the Neuro-Trauma Department at Primary Children's Hospital, and as a school bus driver. She carried tremendous guilt for being a "working mom," but she was 100% invested in her children even through their adulthood and was proud of their accomplishments.

Some of her favorite things in life were White Shoulders and Emeraude perfume, pink flamingos, McDonalds, Diet Coke with extra ice for chewing, crocheting, knitting, cross-stitch, Scrabble, her pets, carousels, baby pink roses, watching football, basketball, and baseball, the Utah Jazz, the Wyoming Cowboys (Go Pokes!), and the Los Angeles Dodgers. She loved President Kennedy and vividly recalled every dark detail of the tragic day of his assassination. She enjoyed classic tv including; Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, MASH, That Girl, Bob Newhart, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, and I Love Lucy. She was a huge fan of the British comedy Keeping Up Appearances, and later Everybody Loves Raymond, and Blue Bloods. Mom even had celebrity crushes on Tom Selleck, Sam Elliott, Robert Redford, Cary Grant, and Vincent D'Onoforio (who personally called her in 2012). Mom was an exceptional writer and It was not uncommon for her to write religious leaders, congressmen and senators (a trait she inherited from her Grandma Gardner), and even received a personal letter from Randolph Hearst regarding the 1974 SLA kidnapping of his daughter, Patricia Campbell Hearst.

Known for her quick wit, generous heart and ability to converse easily with everyone she met, Patty will be dearly missed by all who knew her. It is the wish of her children that she be remembered for the joy she brought to others in her life, not the sadness of her passing.

She is survived by her older twin brothers; Jac Horton of Houston, TX, and Jon Horton of Colorado Springs, CO, her precious baby sister, Stormy (Shane) Burns of Colorado Springs, CO, her sister-in-law, Virginia (Ron) Stevenson of Mount Pleasant, UT, her children, eight grandchildren; Matthew, Jacqueline, Parker, Hayden, Savannah, Bryce, Hurley and Bellasera, and four great-grandchildren; Layton, Everly, Kaylyn and Easton.

She is preceded in death by our loving father, Tom, of 50 years, her father Jack (and Isobell, her stepmother) Horton, her mother Elaine Gardner Horton, and her mother-in-law, Matilda Potter.

A private viewing with her children was held on April 12, 2023, at Wasatch Lawn Mortuary. She did not wish to have a funeral, and we have made the difficult decision to honor her request.

Anyone wishing to honor her memory is encouraged to donate to Primary Children's Hospital in her name.

Good night, God Bless you, sweet dreams ... we love you momma.