Harry Bruce Potts (Poppy)

Peacefully on Monday, February 26, 2024 at the age of 87 Bruce joined the love of his life, Vivian Faye Potts. He will be truly missed by his children Eric, Jeff (Robynne), Bradley, Heather Anderson (Robert).

Bruce served for 33 years with Ottawa Police (Detective Sergeant, Member of the SWAT team and Dive & Recovery team). After retiring from the OPS Bruce went on to have an 8 year career with Ontario Special Investigations Unit and then 11 years as an investigator with Ombudsman.

He was the proud loving Poppy to seven grandchildren Kyle (Annie), Nicole (John), Meghan (Sean), Jaison (Basia), Andrew, Caelan, Jacob and great-grandchildren Addison and Jackson.

He was the son of the late Alfred Potts and Helen Jeffs and survived by his brother Charles. He shared a great friendship through the years with Elmer, Aggie and Larry enjoying many travels and laughs. Now they are all reunited.

Friends and family can pay their respects on Monday, March 11th, 2024, at McEvoy-Shields Funeral Home 1411 Hunt Club Road, Ottawa, Ontario from 10:30AM to 11:00AM with a memorial service beginning at 11:00AM in the Chapel. Reception to follow.

In memoriam donations to a charity of your choice would be appreciated.

________________________________________

Eulogy

Thank you all for being here today and sharing your thoughts and stories with us. It is greatly appreciated. Bruce played many roles throughout his life - Son, brother, cousin, friend, colleague, father, uncle, Poppy, and of course DEAR!… to name a few. No matter how you knew him, you have all shared some common experiences in your interactions with him:

Human connections were important - He was invested with the people in his life, he genuinely wanted to know who you were and he treated everyone with dignity and respect.

He was loyal to the people in his life - There is nothing that he wouldn’t do for his family and friends.

Honest - You always knew you would get a straight answer to any question. He wasn’t afraid to call bullshit if that’s what he saw.

Strong Willed - Or some might even say stubborn. If he thought that something needed to be done and he had an idea of how to do it, he was going to get there.

Compassionate - he wanted the best for others and would do what he could to help out when needed.

Integrity - There were no shortcuts, regardless of the role he assumed, whatever needed to be done it would be done properly.

Gratitude - gratitude for his family, friends, work, colleagues, and experiences. Regardless of what he was dealing with health wise, he continually shared how fortunate he had been throughout his life. He was grateful to be able to witness Caelan and Jacob getting to where they are today. He loved listening to their stories about their journeys’ and being able to share some of his stories with them. He was super proud of you and shared this with everyone who he came into contact with.

Each role requires decisions or actions which are unique to whatever the situation of the moment. Often people who are affected by decisions made don’t necessarily see “why’s” or what considerations go into the actions. We have a tendency to attribute these to the person as opposed to the role that they play in the moment and the requirements of that role.

No matter what the role that people knew Bruce in, it is clear from your experiences and words that regardless of what was required of him in the moment, his actions were always rooted in who he was and you knew that you would get whatever was needed from him. It was his genuineness that shone through and left lasting positive impressions with all who crossed paths with him.

We were fortunate that he allowed us to share in his last years when he agreed to move in with us. I don’t know if many people get the chance to see the complete versions of the people in their lives, but we got to witness him with all of life’s roles stripped away and he was everybit the person that you have all experienced and more. For this, we will always be grateful. We will miss you, but we are comforted in knowing that you are reunited with the love of your life and those friends and family who have passed before you.