Preston Hubert
Potter
1929-2011
It is good to be home …in this special place we call Goose
Creek Island. Sometimes it is hard to distinguish where
family ends and friends begin. I hope
that something I say will speak for everyone who is here today.
I know that there will probably be someone whom I leave out,
but I cannot risk that it should be Aunt Joy Mae. I am especially sensitive to her and her
feelings today. After all, she was married to Hubert for 63 years…a major feat
in relationships today…but to be married to Uncle Hubert basically all her
life…well she certainly deserves a medal!
Preston Hubert Potter….what a man…what a legend! He was "the man"! But he was not a perfect man
– but which of us is perfect? But he was a perfect husband, father, grandfather,
brother, uncle and friend for us. Johnny,
Billy, Gordon………you had him to yourself when he was in Florida, but
when he was in North Carolina…he was
ours. And boy did we have him!
There will not be a family gathering from this day forward
that there will not be a void, but there will be stories that legends are made
of. During many family gatherings…it didn’t matter
where…it could be on the front porch, at Granny's, Uncle Muff’s, Aunt Joyce’s,
even at my house at Harkers Island…he
brought that shine… that uninhibited spirit that just made our day. Many times I have told him that the only
reason we invite him is so we would have someone to talk about. And guess what…he would smile that big smile
with the hearty laugh and say “I want you to talk about me”! Those kitchen
table conversations would range from him reminiscing about chaperoning one of
the boys on a school trip to the Bahamas, the
fishing industry, politics…
Oh my word politics.
If there has ever been a Democrat more yellow then Uncle Hubert I want
to meet them. He even admitted that IF he had been registered to vote in
NC, he would have voted for Barack Obama.
This reminds me of a certain picture that was taken of him in Florida with
Uncle Muff, Nathan, and others in it.
Everyone is posing for the picture but Uncle Muff is holding a Bush –
Cheney sign in the background. We have
tried to use this picture to blackmail him…it never worked.
Uncle Hubert would give you advice on everything. If your lawn mower was broke or you were
having problems with your property taxes….anything…Uncle Hubert was a Bob
Villa, Dr. Phil and Dr. Ruth all rolled into one. Yep..he’d even give you advice on your sex
life…whether you wanted it or not!
His opinions on things…well, he had lots of opinions. He was the authority on everything…commercial
fishing regulations, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Endangered
Species act, the National Park Service…he could tell you what you needed to
know and you might not like it!
Uncle Hubert was a movie star. When I was little I was shown the movie
Flipper, the 1963 classic starring Christopher Plummer. I was told Uncle Hubert was in this movie and
I’ve seen him in it. Of course in later
years, when I was much older and had really gotten to know Uncle Hubert, every
time I would watch this movie and see him in it…I would just howl with
laughter. In the movie..you didn’t have
to see his face to know it was him. All
you had to do was look for the bow legged man running into the house. I guarantee somebody today will go home, get
on Netflix and order the movie Flipper just so they can see if they recognize
him by his bowed legs!
Even his house has starred in a movie. Heather was watching the movie Just Cause
starring Sean Connery…..and there it was..his house and everything it had to offer was there for the world to see.
He said he was glad it was in the movie…he wanted everyone to see his priceless
possessions. Somewhere in the world today, someone is watching this movie and
has made the comment..”My gosh, that house has a lot of stuff underneath it”. Believe me, there were no props used to film
his house. It was the real deal and he
loved it that way!
Uncle Hubert was an infomercial fanatic, especially when it
came to curing medical problems. His
hands were adorned with the finest copper rings money could buy…this cured
arthritis. He said he drank a swallow of
peroxide every day. I never wanted to
know what this cured. Vinegar and honey
cured a sore throat. And who will ever forget
his Vitamin O. For those of you who
don’t remember, he was adamant that Vitamin O would cure everything that ailes
you…anything from arthritis, bursitis, to tonsillitis. I think he was even a
representative or dealer for this product.
Not too long ago somebody spoke of an ache or pain, and of course he
mentioned his Vitamin O. We threatened to make some homemade Vitamin O and we
wanted him to drink it. The man swore
Vitamin O was the way to go.
When I think of Uncle Hubert today, I can’t help but smile
and laugh. Just little things, like the Potter
Campground of Everglades City, growing collards, the grandchildren calling him
Casanova one summer when they were here in NC, the Butch and Skeeter, the
Everglades Seafood Festival, and the famous quote “Where’s Hubert?” The list goes on and on.
Uncle Hubert was invincible…he was bigger than life. His memory is going to live forever in our
minds. Each time we are all together, he
will be with us in spirit. I am quite
sure his name will be whispered and of course we will share one of our
memorable stories of him.
Goodbye and Godspeed Uncle Hubert, I hope you have fair
winds and a following sea on your heavenly journey. It was good! …and the next time is going to
be even better. As he would say…The
best is yet to come!
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