Aaron Matthew Potts July 15, 1954 - November 6, 2019
Aaron Matthew Potts, 65, a loving husband, brother, colleague and friend passed away peacefully on Nov. 6, 2019. He was born to the late Ambrose H. and Mary G. Potts on July 15, 1954.
Aaron earned his Bachelor of Arts in Business Admin. from PLU. He worked for Weyerhaeuser Company for 23 years before retiring.
He is survived by his wife Liana and siblings, David (deceased) (MaryKay) Potts, Richard (Cheryl) Potts, Mary (Denny) Denend, Carol (Frank, deceased) Mack, Larry Potts, Ted (Carol) Potts, Elmer (Teri) Potts and Sally (Gary) Purkett. In addition to a number of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
A memorial service will be held 11AM Mon. Nov. 18, 2019 at Mason United Methodist Church, 2710 N Madison St., Tacoma, WA 98407. Arrangements by Mountain View Funeral Home. Aaron will be laid to rest at Eatonville Cemetery in Eatonville, WA.
In Aarons own words he composed the following;
“42 years ago, my life changed forever! I was riding to work with a friend and two co-workers when my friend fell asleep at the wheel. We were in a Chevy Vega, one wheel dropped into the ditch and he awoke, whipped the steering wheel and we flew across the road, down an embankment and into a pile of logging debris. Everybody but me was wearing a seatbelt and was able to walk away (lesson learned the hard way). The accident shattered my cervical spine, leaving me a quadriplegic for life. At the time, I was 23, was working my last week at a brick factory before I was heading off to school. I needed more education because I had done such a mishmash of things after high school. I had worked as a photographer, and warehouseman, sold lumber, electronics, and cameras, played music in various bands, and managed to fit in a little over a year of college. About a month after
my accident, I was visited in the hospital by a field evaluator for the Washington State Department
of Vocational Rehabilitation. He quizzed me with a few questions and decided I was a good
candidate for rehabilitation. I started college right after the hospital. I wound up attending the University of Puget Sound, Fort Steilacoom Community College, PLU, and something called the Resource Center for the Handicapped where I learned computer programming. I was fortunate enough to land an internship at Weyerhaeuser and was hired full time as a salaried programmer. I worked for Weyerhaeuser for 23 years until it became too much for my overtaxed muscles and
joints. It was a time of great technological change as the industry moved from Mainframe applications to connected PC’s, to web applications. For me, it was a very special time and I made countless friends. In retrospect, after 40 years, I consider myself to be one of the luckiest people on earth! My parents were indefatigable in helping me regain my independence, constantly adapting things to help me overcome my limitations (many may remember the orange Ford van which Dad adapted for me to drive and the elevator he built on his house!) My siblings and friends have been a constant source of encouragement and assistance over the years. Finally, I need to thank my wife, Liana Potts, for her endless assistance and support over the last 33 years. She has been doing the “in sickness and in health” bit from the beginning, even when things get disgusting and exhausting. This is Love made real!”
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