Ogareta 'Gretta' (Ehret) Potter

Ogareta "Gretta" (Ehret) Potter, 90, of Canton, Mass., formerly of Stoughton, Mass., and Mystic, Conn., passed away on Jan. 24, 2009, at Hellenic Nursing and Rehab Center following a long illness.
Born in Adams Center, N.Y., to Rev. A. Clyde and Clella (Ford) Ehret on Dec. 23, 1918, she was raised in Alfred, N.Y., where she attended high school. She graduated from Alfred University in 1940 and married her high school sweetheart, the late George E. Potter, on April 4, 1942, then moved to Rochester, N.Y., until her husband entered the U.S. Navy. After living in the Westerly area for a few years following World War II, the family returned to Alfred where she was very active at the Alfred Seventh Day Baptist Church and served on the local school board. She also worked as a reporter and photographer for the local newspaper, submitting county news to papers in Buffalo, Rochester and New York City.
In 1960, the family relocated to Mystic where Gretta kept busy as a wife and mother, and held a range of church and community positions. Over the years, she volunteered with the Adult Literacy Program, the Department of Probation, Mystic Aquarium, local libraries and several area nursing homes. She also worked as a town reporter again, a substitute teacher and a salesperson at a local bookstore. In addition, she held various paid and volunteer positions at Mystic Seaport, until she retired at age 80, when the couple moved to Stoughton to be closer to family. In her free time, she loved to read, visit, write letters, bake, camp out, travel and browse cemeteries, especially old ones.
Beloved mother of Mark E. Potter of London, England, Shelley K. Potter-Abrahamsen of Howell, N.J., and Molly P. Notkin of Canton, she is also survived by eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend a memorial service at the United Church of Christ, 1541 Washington St., Canton, Sunday, Feb. 1 at 1:30 p.m. Visiting hours omitted. Burial will be private at Alfred Rural Cemetery, N.Y.
Expressions of sympathy may be made in her memory to the Alzheimer's Care Unit at the Hellenic Nursing and Rehab Center, 601 Sherman St., Canton, MA 02021.
Arrangements by the Dockray & Thomas Funeral Home, Canton.