Fourth Generation

11. June A. STEFFERUD was born on 22 January 1938 in La Crosse, La Crosse County, WI.⁸ She graduated in 1956 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.^8,9 from Tomah High School. She graduated in 1960 in Northfield, Rice County, MN.⁸ from St. Olaf's College. June graduated in 1977 in Menomonie, Dunn County, WI.⁸ from the University of Wisconsin with a Master's Degree in Education.

June A. STEFFERUD and James Oscar "Jim" POTTER were married on 18 June 1961 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.^8,10 James Oscar "Jim" POTTER, son of Gerald Melvin POTTER and Lila Vivian GILLETTE, was born on 15 February 1937.^8,11 He graduated in 1955 in Tomah, Tomah Township, Monroe County, WI.^8,12,13 from Tomah High School. He died on 9 January 2012 at the age of 74 in Warrens, Lincoln Township, Monroe County, WI.¹⁴
Obituary Notes: "James Oscar Potter, 74, of Warrens, died on Monday, Jan. 9, 2012, from an accident on the cranberry marsh. He was born Feb. 15, 1937. His parents were Gerald and Lila (Gillette) Potter. He grew up on and lived on the family cranberry marsh most of his life. He attended Warrens Grade School, was baptized at the Warrens Baptist Church in the 1940s and graduated from Tomah High School in 1955.

In 1956 he enlisted in the Army and served in the 101st Airborne Division as a paratrooper. He held the highest marksman score at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo. In high school he was known as "Ace" for his marksmanship.

On June 18, 1961, he was united in marriage to his high school sweetheart, June A. Stefferud. In 1968, Jim and June purchased his parents’ cranberry marsh. Jim was a fifth-generation cranberry grower and a proud grower-owner of the Ocean Spray Cooperative. They have two children, Jill (Kurt) Rutlin of Warrens and Todd (Gina) Potter of Warrens.

Jim served as Scott Township assessor and was a Warrens Gun Club lifetime member. His hobbies included hunting, fishing and antique guns. He went on many hunting trips to Alaska and out West. He loved flying his plane, quiet drives around the marsh, creating wildlife food plots and enjoying nature. In the 1970s, Jim and some neighbor friends built a 1932 Pietenpol two-seater open cockpit airplane. Jim could fix and operate almost anything. For years people have come to Jim for his gunsmithing skills.

Jim always will have a special place in the hearts of those who knew him. He had a dry sense of humor and could always make you smile. A quote from a special friend, "The Jim I knew was generous and quiet, prepared to share the fruits of his hard work. Most of all, when all seemed against him, he never gave up. With his family at his side, he managed to keep going, defeating yet one more challenge."

Jim is survived by his wife, June; his daughter Jill (Kurt) Rutlin of Warrens and his son Todd (Gina) Potter, Warrens; grandchildren Sandy (Adam) Nemitz of Warrens, David Potter (Jesse Cox) of Tomah and Julie and Kyle Rutlin of Warrens; stepgrandchildren Jared McConnell of La Crosse, Kristine (Gary) Lund of Millston and Blake Warthan of Warrens; great-grandchildren Myla Nemitz of Warrens and Braydan Potter of Tomah; stepgreat-grandchildren Jazmine Gebhardt and Justiss Lund, both of Millston; brothers-in-law C. Dan (Marie) Stefferud of Redondo Beach, Calif., and Byron Stefferud of Torrance, Calif.; many aunts; uncles; nieces; nephews; cousins and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents; sister Jean Huffman; brother-in-law Curtis Stefferud; and nephew Sean Stefferud.

Funeral services will be held Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012, at 1 p.m. at the Torkelson Funeral Home in Tomah. Pastor David Dahl will officiate. Burial will follow in the Warren Mills Cemetery, Warrens, with a lunch to follow. Family and friends are invited for visitation Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, from 4-7 p.m. at the Torkelson Funeral Home in Tomah. Memorials may be donated to the Warren Mills Cemetery."

June A. STEFFERUD and James Oscar "Jim" POTTER had the following children: