Stanley V. Potts

Stanley V. Potts

Verl Stanley (Stan) Potts Jr. Obituary

Verl Stanley Potts Jr. of Buhl, Idaho, a former resident of the Mackay, Salmon and Hailey areas in Idaho, and Clover Valley near Wells, Nevada, passed away September 1, 2025, in Rupert, Idaho, at the age of 91. Stan lived an adventurous life as a husband, father, grandfather, miner, logger, Idaho and Nevada farmer and rancher, pilot, big game outfitter, real estate broker, land developer, pipeline welder, heavy equipment operator, law enforcement officer, rodeo cowboy, judge and announcer, sculptor, buckaroo, horse and mule trainer, deli cook, tree farm entrepreneur and author of five books based on his life. While recuperating from a near fatal accident in1999, Stan put pen to several brown paper sacks and wrote his first book, "The Potts Factor versus Murphy's Law". He joked that the saying "Jack of all trades and master of none" was expressly coined for him.

Stan, also known as Stanley, was born May 28, 1934, to parents Sarah Mildred Gray Potts and Verl Stanley Potts at his grandparents' home near Mackay, Idaho. He recently told family, "I was born in a log cabin with a dirt floor in Mackay, Idaho." He attended schools in Mackay, excelling in football and rodeo. In 1952, he along with his life-long friend Jerry Twitchell and fellow cowboy Stanley Allen were the first Idaho cowboys to attend the National High School Rodeo Finals held in Montana. He later attended the University of Idaho in Moscow on a football scholarship, where he also participated in the rodeo and boxing teams.

Growing up, Stan helped on the farms of his father and his grandparents, Herbert and Ada Gray. At the young age of 12 he had saved enough money to help his father purchase a nearby farm, which later became home for him and his bride, Joy Elizabeth Blume Potts from Lamoille, Nevada.

Stan and Joy were married March 7, 1954, at The Little Church of the Crossroads in Lamoille. In 1958, they purchased the Angel Creek Ranch in Clover Valley, south of Wells, Nevada, where they raised alfalfa hay and their three daughters, Kay, Robyn and Stani. Stan's adventures continued in Nevada as he brought deep wells and sprinkler irrigation to the valley. Helping friends and neighbors to organize the Wells Flying Club, he developed his love of flying. He piloted his airplane into Idaho's backcountry where Stan and Joy operated their hunting business at the Hotzel Ranch at Chamberlain Basin, the Taylor Ranch at Big Creek, and later from their home on the Salmon River near Shoup, Idaho.

Stan wrote about some of the things he did "for enjoyment and some of these made a little money": airplane pilot for 43 years; owning six different airplanes. He was an airplane builder (his KIT plane), a test pilot, flew from the tip of Baja California to the Arctic Circle that same year in his Cessna 180 (2242 Charlie), and held aircraft single and multi-engine, commercial and instrument land pilot's licenses.

Stan also was the first Idaho-born hunter to collect a Grand Slam on wild sheep. He hunted in the Yukon, British Columbia, Alaska, Idaho, Montana and Nevada.

With his true entrepreneurial spirit, Stan earned his real estate broker's license while living in Hailey, Idaho. "Retiring" to their log home built at Colson Creek near Shoup, Idaho, Stan continued their hunting business and developed a 10,000-plus tree farm.

Stan is survived by daughters Robyn (Jerry) Maxfield, and Stani (Chris) Malmgren; sister Marlene Huebert; brother Charles Potts; brother-in-law Lloyd Blume, Jr.; and nieces Marci Huebert, Johanna Franck, Emily (Mukunda) Potts Loprinzi, Natalie (Erik) Turner, and Brandy Blume. He was Poppy to his grandchildren Jay (Georgia) Black, Jeny (Scotty) Pavkov, Tim (Leah) Maxfield, and Addie (Kory) Kelzer; great-grandchildren, Jette and Kole Black, Joe and Jes Pavkov, Quinton and Stella Maxfield, Genevieve Joy and Mackenzie Kelzer, and great-great grandson Matthew Black.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 67 years, Joy Elizabeth Blume Potts; daughter Kay LeAnn Potts Black; brother Don Gray; parents Sarah Gray Potts and Verl Stanley Potts; in-laws Lloyd and Marian Blume; brother-in-law, Chuck Huebert; sister-in-law, Ann Potts; nephew, Cory Huebert; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.

At Stan's request there will be no formal service, but a private family gathering will be held at a later date. If you would like to honor Stan's memory by making a donation, the Idaho Outfitter's and Guides Association (www.ioga.org) and Idaho Wild Sheep Foundation (idahowildsheep.org) were two of his favorite organizations.

If you would like to honor Stan in other ways, the family recommends enjoying a hard day's work, go on a mountain hike, hunt or fish with your kids and grandkids, make your firm handshake your bond, and honor people's time by being punctual in everything you do.

The family wishes to thank Tonya and RN Destiny at Hospice Visions and Dena, Joel and the staff at Hansen Mortuary for their professional care, and to the Jim and Laurie McCall family for providing delicious meals.

A video honoring Stan's life is available on the Hansen Mortuary website, http://hansen-mortuary.com.