Mary Joan Potts

Mary Joan Potts age 81 of Yankton, SD and formerly of Fordyce, Nebraska died on Tuesday, November 3, 2020 at the Angelhaus Senior Living in Yankton, SD. Private Family Mass of Christian Burial will be on Friday, November 6, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Fordyce with the Rev. An Duy Phan officiating.  Burial will be at St. John the Baptist cemetery in Fordyce.  Private visitation will be on Friday morning at church from 9:00 a.m. until service time.  Arrangements are under the direction of the Wintz Funeral Home in Hartington. Pallbearers will be her grandsons, E.J. Escamilla, Jorden Escamilla, Travis Potts, Tyler Potts, Brady Potts, and Adam Dorfman. Mary Joan was born on December 23, 1938 in Yankton, SD to Russell and Mary (Zavadil) Bunge. She grew up in Yankton and graduated from Mount Marty High School. Mary Joan started working for the Yankton Medical Clinic after high school. She married Roman Theodore Potts on October 13, 1959 in Fordyce, Nebraska. While raising her four children, she began her marketing career at Gurney Seed and Nursery in Yankton in 1970. Joan truly enjoyed working on the layout of the catalog with the printing and publishing firm in Chicago. After Gurney’s closed its doors, Mary Joan decided to retire. Mary Joan was a member of the St. John the Baptist church. She loved travelling, cooking, and spending time with her grandchildren. She enjoyed reading and had hundreds of books in her collection. Mary Joan also enjoyed painting in watercolors. Mary Joan is survived by her three children Renee Escamilla of Torrington, WY, Julie Potts of Glendale, AZ, and Mike Potts of Norfolk, NE; 10 grandchildren; 11 great grandchildren; many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband Roman on November 7, 2020 at the age of 77 years; son Jeff Potts; and grandson Michael Escamilla.