Olin Eschholz Potter passed away peacefully in his sleep on January 22, 2021, his 96th birthday. Born in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1925, he grew up in the suburbs of that city.
He was a B-29 navigator during World War II, but never saw action, as the war ended before he was deployed. In Detroit, while attending Michigan State University on the GI Bill, he met his future wife, Inga M. Larsson. Upon graduating, he and Inga were married in 1949 and moved back to Springfield. Soon after, they settled in Wilbraham, a small town just east of Springfield. Olin was a patent development engineer, ultimately employed at Worthington Corporation in Holyoke.
His three special hobbies were flying, sailing and skiing. As a teenager, he built a remote airplane -- a fascination that continued well into his later years. He never owned his own plane, but spent many hours sharing flight time with good friends who did. A special memory of his was spending his 90th birthday at the B-29 museum at Bradley Field in Enfield, CT, with his close friend, David Tanzer.
An expert sailor and captain, in 1958 he and Inga purchased a 32-foot sloop and spent weekends and vacations exploring Long Island Sound in Connecticut with his family and friends. After selling his boat in 1961, he would charter sailboats, usually in Maine, and make more wonderful memories with his relatives and friends. In addition, he made several other sailing jaunts in Sweden and other parts of the United States.
Olin was an avid skier from his prep school years at Proctor Academy in Andover, New Hampshire, until his 90th year spending most winter weekends on the slopes. Through a close Wilbraham neighbor, who hailed from Vermont, Olin developed a special love for the Green Mountain state. In 1967, he and Inga purchased land in Waitsfield, where they designed and built a vacation/ski retreat. With the demise of Worthington Corporation, however, they decided to move permanently to their Vermont home.
Initially, Olin was employed at Brothers Building Company in Waitsfield, but eventually he began a consulting engineer business, Deerpath Associates, which he operated until his retirement. In 2012, Olin and Inga sold their Waitsfield home and moved to Lebanon, New Hampshire.
Olin lived a long and very fruitful life. He and Inga travelled extensively throughout Europe and the United States. He loved music and making music. One of his many achievements was playing the flute in the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. He and his family spent many memorable vacations camping in New England. He was fascinated by his family genealogy and spent endless hours working on that with the help of other family members.
Olin is survived by his wife of nearly 72 years and his daughter, Shari, of Montpelier. Cremation will be at Ricker Funeral Home in Lebanon, New Hampshire, with interment in the spring at the Veterans' Cemetery in Randolph, VT. A memorial service will be held in the spring, if Covidly possible.
