William Pottle

William L. Pottle April 4, 1936 – May 10, 2022 William (“Bill”) Pottle passed away on May 10, 2022 in Sun City, Arizona. He was born on April 4, 1936 in Chicago, raised in Quincy, Illinois, and was the son of Lewis W. Pottle and Clara Leary Pottle. Bill graduated from Quincy High School in 1953 and attended the University of Texas, Quincy College and LaSalle Extension University, and then served in the United States Army from 1955 to 1957. After serving with the Army at Fort Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, Bill made Anchorage his home. Bill married Barbara A. (Baker) Pottle (also of Quincy, Illinois), his wife of 65 years. They were married in Anchorage on April 6, 1957, two years before Alaska gained statehood, and there they raised their two children Randall M. Pottle and Steven L. Pottle. After serving in various accounting positions in Anchorage for 10 years, including 5 years as Controller of the Anchorage Daily Times, Bill joined New York Life Insurance Company in 1968, where he had a successful career of more than 30 years. With Barbara at his side as his office and sales manager, Bill achieved 15 years in New York Life’s highest production group, became a Certified Life Underwriter and Chartered Financial Consultant, and was the Anchorage office “Man of the Year” in 1983 and 1985. Bill also served as President and Board member of nearly every life insurance and estate planning organization in Alaska, as well as Alaska Pacific Bancorp, Crown Realty, Anchorage Lions Club and Red Cross, and he volunteered at many organizations, such as the YMCA and Anchorage Hockey Association. Bill and Barbara retired from New York Life in 1998 and spent 25 wonderful years in Pinehurst, North Carolina enjoying golf, travel, family and friends. Bill was an avid sailor and he and Barbara sailed their own boat in the Caribbean, Mediterranean and South Pacific. Bill also enjoyed collecting Alaskan art and making fine wood furniture. After Pinehurst, they resettled to Sun City, Arizona, where Barbara still lives. Bill is survived by his loving wife, Barbara and their two children; son Randy Pottle, his wife Suzanne Hennessy and their children Sara Pottle and Ryan Pottle; and son Steven Pottle, his wife Miriam Dent and their children David Pottle and Anne Catherine Pottle. He was preceded in death by his sister Eloise Pottle Streett. Randy works for the State of California in Sacramento, California and Steve is a retired partner of the law firm Alston & Bird LLP in Atlanta, Georgia. Bill will be buried in his hometown of Quincy, Illinois. Contributions in memory of Bill may be made to The Bright Focus Foundation. Bill loved Irish blessings – “May you have love to share, health to spare and friends that care.”