Older Americans Month: John Potter Isn’t Slowing Down

A proud father of three daughters and grandfather of five, ages 7-24, John Potter recently celebrated the 10th anniversary of joining Easterseals Senior Day Services in Brea—“But we took a break during COVID,” dutifully noted the man known for his incredible memory and uncanny ability to recall dates!

With a few notable dates coming up soon, John is looking forward to celebrating his 72^nd birthday in July and his 47^th wedding anniversary in October.

Once next-door neighbors, John and his wife, Matilda, dated for two years before tying the knot. “The first seven years are the hardest,” he advised, “then marriage just gets better and better.” Asked how he plans to celebrate his birthday, he laughed and hinted, “Maybe they’ll throw me a party … Or maybe we’ll just go out to dinner.”

Retired—But Busier Than Ever

John—who moved to California with his parents when he was four years old—worked at Costa Mesa Hospital and at Beckman’s, an electronic store, prior to retiring. Matilda recently retired from Knott’s Berry Farm after many years of working there.

But retirement hasn’t slowed John down. “I have a lot of friends here,” he says about Easterseals, “and we have a lot of activities. We made gingerbread houses at Christmas and had a contest,” he reported. 

Easterseals Life Skills Coach Jasmine Hernandez said, “John is a great person and very popular. He’s friendly and always helpful and a good conversationalist. On days he’s not here, everyone wants to know where he is!”

A Man of Many Pursuits

An avid fan of sports (all of them), films (classic monster movies) and music (with a preference for British bands)—he is extremely knowledgeable on each of those subjects, with an enviable recall of exact dates that films and albums were released, as well as important sports victories.

While his wife doesn’t share his love of sports, his daughter Barbara Ann—named after the Beach Boys song—does, often joining him in front of his 55-inch big screen TV.

Sporting a Beatles’ Abby Road t-shirt while chatting, John’s favorite film is the original Frankenstein (1931), starring Boris Karloff. He also follows the Angels (going to his first game at age 13 in 1967), Rams, Lakers and the Galaxy—and is looking forward to the Olympics coming to Los Angeles in 2028.

“I went to a Dodger game on May 18, 1976, with a friend,” he recalled, demonstrating his photographic memory. “They played the Reds.”

An Appetite for Life

If all that weren’t enough, John added, “I like to hang out with my kids and grandkids; go to Disneyland; go to the mall; bowl on Nintendo Wii; play cards, Bingo and Lotería; do word search; and read the newspaper—“But only the sports page,” he clarified. 

Also a big fan of the food trucks that sometimes visit Easterseals, John says his goodbyes to go get in line to order his favorite food—steak nachos with all the fixings.

Learn more about Easterseals Adult and Senior Day Services.