Chief George Arthur Potter's Obituary
PERRY, GA-
George Arthur Potter, retired Chief of Police and previous Director of Public Safety for the City of Perry, passed away at his home on Wednesday, August 20, 2014, after a long battle with cancer. He was 65 years old. Funeral Services will be held on Saturday, August 23, 2014, at 2:00 p.m. at New Hope Baptist Church in Perry. Interment will be private. The family will greet friends from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m. on Friday, August 22, 2014, at New Hope Baptist Church. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests memorial contributions to Heart of GA Hospice, 1120 Morningside Drive, Perry, GA 31069, or Jay's HOPE, 1157 Forsyth Street, Macon, GA 31201, or Friends of Perry Animal Shelter (FOPAS), P. O. Box 2001, Perry, GA 31069.
Before relocating to the City of Perry, Chief Potter completed a 26-year law enforcement career with the Columbus Police Department. In 1996, he was appointed Chief of Police of the Perry Police Department, followed by his escalation in rank to the titled position of Director of Public Safety. Chief Potter graduated from the FBI National Academy, Session 106, in 1976. Adding to his personal and professional credentials, he held a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Columbus State University, and two master's degrees - Criminal Justice from Troy State University and Public Administration from Columbus State University. He was a Life Member of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police (GACP) and held the honor of being President of that well-respected association in the year 2003-2004. Chief Potter was most proud of the people he had mentored through the years in his role as a law enforcement leader and as adjunct professor of Criminal Justice at Fort Valley State University. He also left his mark on his beloved profession by teaching at Troy State University and at Columbus State University. One of Chief Potter's career highlights was that he had the opportunity to travel overseas through a U.S. State Department program in 1994, to help train the Somali National Police. The members of his law enforcement fraternity in Georgia, without exception, agree that Chief Potter was known for epitomizing professional policing.
Chief Potter enjoyed playing golf and treasured the moments he spent on the golf course. He was a member of the Kottie Kooters Golf Group with whom he shared many golf trips and made wonderful memories. He was a member of Perry Rotary Club, a Shriner, and a Mason. He was a former member of the Perry Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. He was appointed by the Governor to serve on the Board of Corrections for the state of Georgia. Chief Potter was a member of Perry United Methodist Church. He was preceded in death by his parents, George Edwin Potter and Rose Schweizer Potter.
George and his wife, Connie, recently celebrated 26 years of marriage. The couple has one child, Erica, as well as a young granddaughter and the twinkle in Chief Potter's eye, Lily. Some people might have given into battling cancer. However, not George Potter, for he has been quoted as saying, "I now have a granddaughter that I wouldn't have known if I did not strive to survive and God knows that I have had the support of dear friends." "My best friend, my wife Connie, has been there for me every step of the way, and I would not have made it the last 13 years if it were not for her love and support."
Left to cherish the memories of Chief Potter are his loving and devoted wife, Connie Tarleton Potter of Perry; his daughter, Erica Potter of Perry; one granddaughter, Lily Robinson of Perry; his siblings, Charles Potter and his wife, Sandra, of Helen, GA; Carolyn Hayes and her husband, Richard, of Maryland; Richard Potter and his wife, Jill, of New Hampshire; Gloria Boyles and her husband, Paul, and James Potter and his wife, Elizabeth, both of South Carolina; as well as several nieces and nephews.
Friends are invited to leave condolences for the family in the online guestbook at www.watsonhunt.com. Watson-Hunt Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements.
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