I knew Tim Potter for nearly fifty years.
Tim had a long, very diverse and very interesting life, a very fulfilled life, very loving life with Gerda, three children, many grandchildren, and an army of loyal friends and followers.
Tim was raised as an Anglican choir boy, sang Christmas carols to inmates in penal institutions around Kingston, became a public school teacher, converted to antique picker, antique collector, antique dealer, auctioneer extraordinaire for thirty-odd years, antiques show organizer, co-founder of the first significant and substantive Canadian antique newspaper, The Upper Canadian, with partners, Jan Bos, John Ford, Bill Dobson.
Tim was an entrepreneur, husband, father, grandfather, friend, advisor, confidant.
Tim was hard scrabble, self-educated, street smart, self-educated, and successful, always on his own terms.
Tim had a GREAT understated sense of humour, tart, acerbic, tinged with sarcasm on occasion, but always le mot juste. A great Canadian antique piece that had been stripped but still had good form was deemed to be “licked off”.
Tim was like a giant tree in a forest, the icon, the marker, the guidepost, the pathfinder, whether sunny day or stormy weather. Tim was what timber cruisers call Big Timber, lots of board feet, marketable, you could take Tim to the bank. Tim Potter was Big Timber until he was gone. And then we counted our loss.
Tim loved Gerda and his children and his grandchildren inestimably. Gerda was Tim’s rock. Gerda loved Tim dearly and mourns him greatly. Tim’s children and grandchildren mourn him deeply. Our deepest condolences to the entire Potter family. Tim will be remembered as an all around GREAT GUY.
Sincerely,
Philippe Roy, Ottawa, Ontario.
If you would like to make a donation in Tim’s memory, donations may be made to University Hospitals Kingston Foundation – Eastern Ontario Cancer Centre (UHKF)
A sincere thanks to Mr. Roy for submitting this to the WT. We were deeply saddened to hear of Tim Potter’s passing and send our condolences to his family and many friends.