Larry J. Pottebaum, R.N.
Well known member of the Emergency Personnel community
Larry J. Pottebaum, R.N., 63, of Tyngsboro, died peacefully at the Merrimack Valley Hospice House in Haverhill.
He was the beloved husband of Lucille N. Gertz, who survives him, and with whom he would have celebrated their 31st wedding anniversary on the 26th of August. He is also survived by his two loving daughters Willow J. Gertz and Autumn H. Gertz both of Tyngsboro.
Born in Hermann, Missouri, July 7, 1952, the son of his father Joseph Pottebaum and his wife Madge of Higbee and his mother Joyce M. (Strecker) (Pottebaum) Kottman and her husband Garvin of Glasgow, he graduated from Glasgow High School in 1970.
A 1978 graduate of the State University of New York in Cortland with a Bachelor of Science in Education, Larry received his Master’s Degree from the University of Oregon in 1981. He enjoyed a lifelong involvement in outdoor education, with the US Forest Service, Cooperative Extension, Appalachian Mountain Club, and Mass Audubon. As the Director of Mass Audubon’s Wildwood Camp from 1984-1992, Larry shared his great sense of humor, tremendous leadership, and deep love for the outdoors by inspiring hundreds of campers and staff, teaching about the wonders of the natural world. In the years that followed, Larry remained committed to Wildwood, generously contributing many hours to staff training, donating equipment, volunteering, and providing ongoing support to Wildwood’s leadership team. He also maintained his connection with the Mass Audubon staff community by offering countless first-aid and canoe safety certification workshops.
In 1994, Larry graduated from Rivier College in Nashua, New Hampshire with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. Prior to his retirement, he was a Psychiatric Nurse at Holy Family Hospital in Methuen. Previously, Larry worked at Saints Memorial Medical Center in Lowell (now Lowell General Hospital).
Active in the community, Larry was a firefighter for the Town of Tyngsboro, a member of the National Ski Patrol, and a children’s safety educator at the Tyngsboro Public Library and schools for over 20 years. After 9-11, Larry became a member of Lowell’s C.I.S.M. (Critical Incident Stress Management) Team, a peer counseling organization for Emergency Personnel.
Besides his wife, daughters, and parents, Larry is survived by several siblings - Verna Fleetwood of Glasgow, Missouri, Karen Fuemmeler and her husband Harold of Huntsville, Missouri; Robert Kottman and his wife Stacey of Glasgow; Jane Clark of Higbee, Missouri; Angie Maddox of Huntsville; Michael Pottebaum of Vader, Washington; and Amy Pottebaum of Higbee, and many uncles, aunts, nieces and nephews.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend his Memorial Service on Monday, August 24 at Habitat Education Center and Wildlife Sanctuary in Belmont, Massachusetts at 5 o’clock. http://www.massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/wildlife-sanctuaries/habitat/directions.
Donations in Larry’s memory can be made to The Larry Pottebaum Camp Scholarship Fund at Wildwood, Massachusetts Audubon Society, 208 South Great Road, Lincoln, MA 01773. Online condolences can be shared at www.odonnellfuneralhome.com.
|