Obituary of Gladys M Potter

Gladys Marie Pfile Potter, 104, passed away peacefully, Wednesday, March 1, 2017, at Crestview Specialty Care in West Branch, IA. Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at St. Bernadette’s Catholic Church, West Branch, IA, Saturday, March 11, at 10:30 a.m. Per Gladys’ wishes, she has been cremated and will be buried at a later date in Littleton, CO. Memorials may be made to the Crestview Specialty Care. Online condolences may be sent to her family at www.gayandciha.com. Gladys was born in Freeport, IL, May 18, 1912, the first child of the eight children of Esrom Harry and Margaret Rose Michel Pfile. Her family moved to Decatur, IL, in 1926, where her father established Pfile’s Camera Shop. After 8th graduation, her formal education ended when she went to work for her father as a photo finisher, tinting pictures and selling cameras at the camera shop. She married Franklin William Potter on August 8, 1936, in Decatur. During her marriage she moved over 27 times. She had the magical ability of almost immediately transforming any house into a warm and comfortable home. During her life she experienced many world transforming events. She always remained quite curious about the world around her and was an avid newspaper reader. She enjoyed traveling, sewing, knitting, gardening and quilting. She finished her last quilt at age 90. Although she experienced many changes in her life always constant was her love of God, her church and her family. Gladys is survived by her youngest brother, Robert Pfile (Lois); her children, Frank Steven Potter (Della), Carol Yoder (Larry), Nancy Burhans Prall (Jack), Betty Kehoe, and Lorie McMillan (Lorne). She is also survived by 14 grandchildren, 21 great-grandchildren, and 5 great-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Frank, her sons-in-law, Bill Burhans and Steven Kehoe and two grandsons. The family wishes to express their great appreciation for the care and kindness given to Gladys by the entire staff at Crestview.