Margaret Potee

Potee, Margaret C. Devoted wife of the late Edwin K. Potee. Loving mother of Mickey Potee, Edwin K. (Judi) Potee Jr., Jack Potee, Pam (Neal) Driscoll, and the late Connie Pfirrmann and Peggy Hsie. Dear grandmother of 22 grandchildren and 19 great grandchildren. Passed away April 14, 2011, age 93 in Summerlin, NV where she resided with her daughter Pam, son-in-law Neal Driscoll, and two grandchildren, Andrew and Emily. Visitation will be held on Tuesday April 26, at St. Michael Church, 11144 Spinner Ave., Sharonville, from 10 am until Mass of Christian Burial at 11 am. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Anthony of Padua (4275 N. Rancho Dr., Suite 120, Las Vegas, NV, 89130) Building Fund in honor of Margaret Clarke Potee. I am probably one of the oldest members of St. Michael’s parish. My parents, Thomas and Mary Clarke, were both Irish immigrants who met in Philadelphia. They moved our family to Sharonville in 1920. At the time of our move from Pennsylvania to Ohio, our family consisted of Mary, who was 9, Thomas, who was 7, and me, age 3. Sharonville was small at the time, although it was becoming a major railroad center. My father went to work for the railroad and my mother managed our family farm. Since there was no church or school in Sharonville, we attended Sacred Heart Church in Reading and my brother and sister attended the school. As more and more families were moving to Sharonville, many of whom were Catholic, a church was soon planned. Father James Conroy from Springfield was assigned to the fledgling parish. At first, masses were held in a home on Maple Street. Property was purchased on the corner of Creek Road and Oak Street, where a small frame church was built. In 1923, my sister, Mary, was taken ill and passed away at age 12. The funeral was held at St. Michael’s, and she was buried at Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery in Reading. The members of our parish helped my family through this difficult time. Parish members decided it was time to have a school for the children of St. Michael’s parish, and construction began in 1926. The Sisters of Notre Dame taught at St. Michael School, and my brother was among its first students. Following Thomas’s graduation from 8th grade, he attended Roger Bacon High School. After my 8th grade graduation, I attended Immaculate Conception Academy, a boarding school in Indiana. My younger sister, Agnes, also attended St. Michael School and Immaculate Conception Academy. I returned home in 1935, where I met Edwin Poteé, the principal of Springdale School. We were married at St. Michael’s on December 26, 1939. We had six children, who were all baptized at St. Michael’s church: Connie (1940), Mickey (1943), Ed (1944), Jack (1949), Peggy (1954), and Pam (1959). Agnes and my three daughters were also married at St. Michael’s. My father died in 1943 and my mother in 1945. Both funerals were held at St. Michael’s, and they were both buried at Saints Peter and Paul Cemetery, near my sister, Mary. Edwin and I donated the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph statues to St. Michael’s in honor of my parents, Thomas and Mary. The Blessed Virgin statue resides in the entrance of the church on Spinner Avenue, but the St. Joseph statue disappeared years ago. In 1947, I was elected president of the Sacred Heart Sodality. At that time, we decided the St. Michael School needed a cafeteria. I, along with the other members of the Sodality, prepared the students’ lunches for the next two years until we were able to hire a cook. Although Edwin was not Catholic, Father Kelly sought his expertise throughout the years as an educator and administrator to assist in improving St. Michael School. Edwin was converted to the faith under the guidance of Father Wessling and Father Lay of St. Michael’s before passing away on May 18, 1980. He was buried at Gate of Heaven Cemetery, where I will rest next to my beloved husband. Although I moved to other parishes over the years, St. Michael’s has always been the parish closest to my heart