Shirley Jean Potter

Shirley Jean Potter, 83, passed away peacefully with family and friends by her side on Sept. 22, 2016 in Whitefish.

Born April 1, 1933 in Poplar, she was one of seven children, four brothers and two other sisters. She and her family moved over from Culbertson to Whitefish when she was 8.

At the age of 17 she worked summers in Essex as a switchboard operator communicating with the railroad engineers. This is where she met my father, Herbert Allen Potter, an engineer for the Whitefish line. ‘Herbie’ was his nickname, and he would come in to talk to her at her place of work often with coffee in his hand, when waiting for his train.

Eventually they both married when she was 19, “Herbie” was 31. They moved from their tiny house in Essex, when she was 21, back to Whitefish. There they built our house on the golf course overlooking Whitefish Lake. During the two years of construction they stayed in a Forest Service tent next to the property’s building site while pregnant with her first son, Howard.

She attended Hair Beauty School in Kalispell with good friend, Richard Berger in the 1960s.

After Hair School graduation, she built her own beauty shop onto the house and successfully ran, Shirley’s Beauty Salon, with four other employees for 24 years, while my father worked the railroad.

This way she could better raise her three kids from home. We all used to hang out on a neighbor friends dock, in the summers on Whitefish Lake.

She is survived by her three children, Howard Potter, retired Navy Veteran; Norma Jean James (Potter), who currently works as a school teacher in Kalispell; and Michael Potter, her youngest son. All three children live in the Flathead Valley.

Shirley was very loved by the Whitefish community. Her original and unique sense of humor made people of all ages laugh hysterically.

Her polarizing and witty personality would always make people feel better. She always told me that “it’s fun to laugh at life” and to “never sweat the small stuff.” Shirley had a way of telling stories about everyday life with colorful humor and vocal detail.

Her absolute best friend and companion of the last 10 years, Ralph Ammondson, and her were inseparable. They would always go for drives to look at the deer, eat out and watch football games at local sports bars. Her third act of life was fulfilling with Ralph next to her, a true and perfect gentleman who opened the door for her wherever they went.

A celebration of her life will be held at the Bulldog Saloon in Whitefish on Wednesday, Oct. 12 from 5 to 7 p.m.