Margaret Carolyn Potthast

Margaret (Marge) Carolyn Potthast, age 99, recently of Hearthstone Manor of Woodstock, IL and formerly a long time resident of Zion, IL, passed away on May 31, 2016. She was born in 1917 to Hungarian-Austrian immigrants, Joseph Wuhan, a carpenter, and Theresa Just Wuhan, in Milwaukee, WI. After her father died when she was only four, she, her older sister Ann and her mother moved to Chicago where she had her name changed to Pierce, the name of her new step-father. She was raised to early adulthood in Chicago and attended Tuley High School. Afterwards, before and during the World War II, she worked in a munitions plant in Chicago. In 1939 Marge married her first husband, William H. (Bill) Potthast, an immigrant from Germany, with whom she had two children, Nancy Ann Potthast (1941) and James William (Jim) Potthast (1946). After the War ended, she became a seamstress and fitter at the Mina Hart dress shop in Winnetka, where she worked until age 80. She and Bill moved to Zion, IL in 1950. Some time after Bill died in 1976, she met and married her second husband, Severin (Sam) Martin to whom she remained married until his death in 2002. At age 90 she moved into a home at Hearthstone Communities where she continued to reside until her passing. Marge was predeceased by her older sister Ann who died as a young woman from a roller skating accident, and her daughter, Nancy, but she is survived by her son, James Potthast, and his wife, Sara; her four granddaughters Karen Reynolds, Leah Westberry (William), Lara Coler and Jolie Potthast (Joe McGuigan); her great grandsons, Aaron Stroud and James Winters, her great granddaughter, Amanda Stroud; and her great-great grandchildren, Deundra Nichols (13), Sarayah Cornel (9), Zavid Stroud (7), Richard Wesley (2), Samaj Winters (7), Janely Winters (5) and Avion Stroud (2) and Jameson Coler (2-months). Marge’s family wishes to thank Mary Lou Knapp, her closest and most loving and caring friend and the administration and staff of Hearthstone Communities of Woodstock and Journey Care for the highly competent, kind and loving care they showed her during the last years of her life. Visitation will begin at 10:00 am with a funeral service shall commence at 11:00 am on Saturday, June 11, 2016, at Congdon Funeral Home, 3012 Sheridan Road, Zion, IL. The funeral service will be followed by procession to Mt. Olivet Memorial Park Cemetery, 1436 Kenosha Road, Zion, for a brief interment service.