Jack Huffman Potts

Jack Huffman Potts, 82, the son of Frank Huffman and Belle McKinney Potts, died in the Brevard Brian Center on Tuesday, November 21, after a long period of declining health.
Born September 21, 1918 in Highlands, North Carolina, he lived for many years in Brevard before a brief residence in Hendersonville preceding his final illness.
Amember of the North Carolina Bar, he practiced law for over forty years, gaining the reputation of being one of the leading trial lawyers in Western North Carolina. Always an opponent of capital punishment, he was the defense attorney in some thirty murder trials, never having a client receive the death penalty and gaining acquittal for many. He played an active role in the Democratic Party and was a former member of the North Carolina House of Representatives. A veteran of World War II, entering as a private and attaining the rank of Captain, he served in both the Philippines and Panama. He was a strong supporter of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, from which he had received his doctor-of-jurisprudence degree.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Doris Jones Potts; a sister, Betsy Potts Chapman; and a brother, John Stephen Potts.
He is survived by two sisters, Mrs. William Owens of Clinton, North Carolina and Nancy Potts Coward of Webster, North Carolina; two stepdaughters, Susan Chitwood of Asheville, North Carolina and Patricia Owen of Texas; a step-grandson, Danny Owen-Kohutek of Texas; and a beloved granddaughter, Jessica Chitwood Wagner and her husband, Michael of Hendersonville.
A memorial service will be held Monday, November 27, at 11 a.m. at Brevard-Davidson River Presbyterian church, with the Reverend Keith Thompsonofficiating. Members of the Bar Association are asked to sit as a group.
The family will receive friends at the church following the memorial service.
Memorials may be made to the Brevard-Davidson River Presbyterian Church or to the American Cancer Society.
Moody-Connolly Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.