Harry Pottios Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

Born: 5/22/1928 Died: 2/28/2013 Mr. Harry Pottios, age 84, of Delaware City, DE, passed away peacefully on Thursday, February 28, 2013. Born in Pittsburgh, PA, on May 22, 1928, Mr. Pottios was the son of the late Peter Pottios and Anna Babirad Pottios. He left the small coal-mining town of Van Voorhis, PA, as a teenager to enlist in the US Marine Corps, where he served in a detachment aboard the USS Midway just after WWII. During the Korean War, he stayed stateside to play baseball for the Navy, as well as compete in rifle matches for the USMC. After 16 years of service he left to study agriculture and attempted to procure a farm. But he was unable to obtain the particular farm he had his heart set on, and so, recalling his time on the Midway, decided that he would make his way out on the sea. He headed to New York City and began work for Getty Oil, setting out with their fleet of barges to sail across the globe. He was as familiar with the crowds of India as he was with the mosquitos of Panama. But he was a family man above all else, and so retired in 1986, coming ashore in Delaware City to tend to his flock. He will always be remembered for his sly sense of humor, in spite of his no-nonsense, practical attitude towards life. He was as gentle as he was firm, as honest as they come, as reliable as the sunrise, and as stubborn as a mule. His smile melted hearts around the world. The woman who melted his heart, his beloved wife Emma Amelia Sturgeon Pottios, passed away in 2010. He was also preceded in death by his son, Richard Pottios, brother, John Pottios, and sister, Rosie Petroski. He is survived by his children, Gloria Diane Lester and Harry Pottios, Jr., both of Arkansas; Carol Pottios Stratton, Alex M. Pottios, and Harry Dru Pottios; and by brothers, Raymond Pottios, Myron Pottios, and Mickey Bitsko; sisters, Emily Gazi, Franny Biddle, and Pauline Baden; seven grandchildren; sixteen great grandchildren; and one great great grandchild. A graveside service will be held at 10 am on Saturday, March 9th, at Delaware City Cemetery, Clinton Street, Delaware City.