HALLOWELL — Rebecca Louise Potter, 84, of rural Hallowell died Saturday, May 3, 2025.
She was born Oct. 8, 1940, in Marion, Indiana, to C. Roger and Mary (Blackard) Shugart. She lived on the family farm in Indiana and graduated from Mississinewa High School. In 1963, she graduated from Friends University with a major in home economics and a minor in French.
Rebecca married Richard Potter of Riverton on June 2, 1962. They moved to Alta Vista the following year. This allowed Rebecca to begin her first year of teaching in the Alta Vista school district and Richard continued his studies at Kansas State University. In 1966, Rebecca and Richard moved to Webb, Iowa, where she taught in Clay Central schools and helped with the Shugart family farm operation.
In 1979, Rebecca and Richard moved to Southeast Kansas, where they farmed and worked as substitute teachers in the Columbus and Oswego school systems. Rebecca thrived as a homemaker, stay-at-home mom and Sunday school teacher. She enjoyed gardening, sewing and baking for the family. In 1990, Rebecca returned to teaching full-time as a French foreign language instructor for the Pittsburg school district.
She was a member of Evangelical Friends churches in Indiana, Iowa and Southeast Kansas and was a loving servant of God. Her last church membership was with the First Baptist Church of Oswego.
She is survived by four children, Ruth (Paul) Fischer of Moore, Oklahoma, Betty (Mark) Epler of rural Hallowell, John (Amy) Potter of Topeka and Sarah (Nathan) Tyree of Scammon; five grandchildren; nine great-grandchildren; three sisters, Jean Welle of Wichita, Hope Just of Wichita and Dawn Russell (Roy) of Oswego; and many nieces, nephews and friends.
A celebration of life ceremony will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday, May 24, at the First Baptist Church of Oswego. Friends and family are invited to wear purple to the ceremony since it was Rebecca’s favorite color.
