Eugene Potter

Eugene Potter of Seattle passed peacefully in his sleep the morning of May 22, 2026, at the Deer Ridge Memory Care home in Puyallup. He was proud to make it to a milestone birthday of 90 years and two days.

Eugene, better known as "Gene" to his family and friends, was born to Gardner Godfrey Potter and Chloe Anderson on May 20, 1936 in the small town of Manila, Utah. Eugene was the second eldest son, and had two brothers and five sisters.

Gene was a playful, mischievous boy. He was often caught teasing his many sisters and getting into tiffs with his older brother, Gardner. As a big family in a small house, he and Gardner had to share a bed. They would often hold a contest to see who could wake up and actually have covers on. Gene was full of love and curiosity, with many passions in his life, including fishing. He may or may not have skipped grade school a few times to grab his pole and buddy to set off to the local fishing hole. His love of fishing continued throughout his life.

In 1955, near the end of high school, Gene joined the Navy, doing so as part of the buddy enlistment program during the Korean Conflict. He earned his GED on the ship. He exited the Navy following two years of service. While he didn't enjoy being a deck hand, he loved seeing some of the world, especially Asia.

In 1958, Gene married a young, spunky gal named Elta Mae Anderson, as part of a double wedding with his sister, LaRay. Soon after, they had their only child together, Terry Allan, born September 22, 1959. Gene raised Terry as a single father from the time he was about 18 months old.

Gene supported his little family as a barber, owning his own shop in Normandy Park for more than 40 years. He loved his shop, the ladies who rented chairs from him, and all of his clients. Many of Gene's patrons continued to schedule appointments with him far into his retirement. His grandchildren enjoyed getting hircuts from him and playing with his cute Shih Tzu, Su Ling, at the shop.

Gene was a generous person. He opened his home to help raise the brother of his brother-in-law, C.G. Gene, Terry, and C.G. were quite the crew! They all had a lot of fun together. Gene was also very loyal and loving to his mother, who he adored and took care of for 40 years.

In the late 1960s, Gene met the love of his life, William "Bill" Overholt. They were one of the first same-sex couples married in San Francisco in 2008. Their hobbies included the arts, culture, international travel, gardening, winters in Thailand, and evenings with friends. Their garden was featured in Sunset Magazine. They owned homes next door to each other in Seattle and a home in Puyallup that used to be a berry farm. They adored their Shih Tzu, Su Ling. They were together for more than fifty years, until Bill's passing in August 2021.

After Bill's passing, Gene rediscovered his love of animals and adopted a cute Shih Tzu named Bill and a cat named Gene. He loved them both very much.

Gene enjoyed spending time with his grandchildren, especially the annual shopping trip and photos with Santa. One such outing resulted in multiple scooter purchases and a race against Grandpa Gene down a driveway. Grandpa won, of course, and never failed to remind his grandchildren. Gene gave the best hugs and never held back his signature smile.

When asked about his life, he would often reply back with, “I love my life, and I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Until we meet again, peace to you. We love you.

Preceding Eugene in death were his father Gardner Godfrey, sister LaRay, mother Chloe Anderson, ex-wife Elta Mae, sister Marie, sister Sharon, brother Gardner, and husband Bill. 

Eugene is survived by his sisters, Carol Ann and Linda Capato, brother David Silva, son Terry, daughter-in-law Rebecca, six grandchildren, and 13 great grandchildren.

Funeral proceedings for Eugene will be held on June 6 at Powers Funeral Home in Puyallup and he will be laid to rest in Woodbine Cemetery next to his late husband, Bill.