Obituary of Betty J Potter

Betty J. Potter, 81, of Augusta, passed away peacefully September 8, 2012 at MaineGeneral Medical Center. She was born in Unity, Maine on June 17, 1931, the daughter of Harold F. Jones and Nancy (Walton) Jones. She attended schools there as well as South Portland and Jefferson, graduating from Cony High School in 1949. She was a career secretary/bookkeeper, already working in a local attorney's office while still in high school. She continued to use those skills on a part-time basis while raising her four children in North Whitefield. During those years she was very active in organizing community fundraising events such as the Knights of Columbus Game Suppers, PTA minstrel shows, Ladies’ Auxiliary/Fire Department suppers, etc. She retired from state service in 1997, after 20 years in the Maine Public Utilities Commission, serving the last 10 years as administrative secretary to the Chairman of the Commission. She enjoyed travel, playing piano and organ, and family gatherings. She loved making birthday cakes, celebrating Christmas, holding new babies, and keeping in touch with her many close friends. She is predeceased by her parents, stepmother, Sue Miller Jones, her brother, Harold L. Jones, and her son, Mark L. Nichols, as well as two spouses, Willis Nichols, James H. Potter and her beloved dog, Nikki. She is survived by her children, David L. Nichols and his wife, Charlotte, of Lanham, Maryland ; Timothy H. Nichols, of Ijamsville, Maryland, and his companion, Betsy Keating; Jill Bickford West, and her husband, Robert West, of Whitefield, Maine, daughter-in-law, Sharon Nichols, and her companion, David Libby, of Pittston, Maine : step-daughter Cindy Duguay, and her husband, Mark Duguay, of Turner, Maine. Her grandchildren include, Westley Nichols, Pittsburg, PA; Brooke Nichols, Rotterdam, The Netherlands; Hilary (Nichols) Belanger and her husband, Brian Belanger, Pittston, Maine; Jeff Bickford and his wife Amy, Augusta, Maine, Joshua Bickford, and his wife, Stephanie, of Brewer, Maine, Justine Bickford, Whitefield, Maine, and Collenn Libby. Betty is also survived by 9 great-grandchildren : Lily, Gavin, Roy, Nicholas, Judah, Henry, Jonas, and Ben, as well as a niece and nephew. A memorial service is planned for family and friends on Friday, September 14, 2012 at 2:00 p.m. at Calvary Bible Baptist Church, Route 126, North Whitefield, Maine, following a brief family internment service at Maine Veteran’s Cemetery in Augusta.