Nelson Henry Potter

Nelson was born to Emerson and Elsie (Schmidt) Potter on November 10, 1925 in Baltimore, MD, where he was raised. One of five children, Nelson grew up in the midst of the Great Depression. To support the United States during World War II, Nelson served in US Army in Europe from 1944 to 1946 as a Sergeant and in the 82nd Airborne Division. After the war, Nelson studied electronics and received certifications from Capital Radio Institute, which led to a career including many years at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, where he worked with electronics during the era of the first moon landings, and received several awards. Nelson met his wife Rilla on a tennis court in Washington DC, and they were married in 1954. After several years of travelling and residing in different locations in the United States and abroad, they settled down and raised a family of four children in Laurel, Maryland, where they lived from 1967 until 2021. At that time, Nelson and Rilla moved to Brightview Senior Living in Columbia, Maryland.

In his spare time, Nelson enjoyed playing golf, tennis, family vacations, genealogy, and visiting with his children and grandsons and extended family members in the USA and abroad. Nelson will be remembered for his interesting and lively discussions, his analytical abilities, and his wisdom.

Nelson was preceded in death by his brother Emerson Potter, and sisters Irene Thompson, Evelyn Gress, and Babette McCarthy. He is survived by his four children Jennifer Potter-Karoutsos (Zacharias) of Athens, Greece, Henry Potter (partner James) of Falls Church, VA; Edward Potter (Elvira) of Valencia, Spain; and Richard Potter (Izolda) of Brooklyn, NY; and three grandsons, Kyriakos Karoutsos, Leonidas Karoutsos, and George Potter.

Nelson requested that no funeral or remembrance gathering be held immediately following his death. However, in August 2024, he very much enjoyed a family gathering with many cousins, nieces, and nephews in attendance. The family hopes to participate in a similar gathering in the future, at which time he will be remembered in spirit.