Notizen zu dieser Person
One of the earliest records of Michael is a postcard sent to him by his father (Theodore Potthast) from New York City in May 1924. Michael was 13 years old at the time. The post card image is St. Patrick's Cathedral. The message is: "Dear Mickel: I hope you are well. Try [Trust?] that you got the bicycle (which is charmingly drawn, not spelled). Your father." In the summer of 1929, Michael's cousin, Frank, travelled to Europe, which is also documented in postcards sent to Michael's parents. In those postcards, Frank talks of Michael's desire and/or plans to travel to Europe in 1930. I do not know whether Mike ever made the trip, although I presume that the depression of 1929 prevented him from travelling. However, from another old postcard saved by his mother, we know that Mike traveled to Chicago in 1934 to see the "Century of Progress" World's Fair, giving him his opportunity to "see the world," although probably not in the way he originally hoped. After Michael married Betty, they lived at 3 N. Prospect Avenue (a house that belonged to his parents) while he worked at Potthast Brothers. However, he soon realized that factory work was not his forte and he returned to school where he graduated with a Bachelor's degree in Accounting. In 1942, Mike and Betty bought a home at 5210 Old Frederick Road, where they lived until 1952/53. (When they moved, their old house at 3 N. Prospect Avenue was acquired by Mike's brother, Berthold and his family.) During World War II, Mike served in the US Coast Guard. After the war, and upon receipt of his Bachelor's degree, Mike began working for the State of Maryland as an auditor, holding the position of Deputy State Auditor for a number of years under Louis Goldstein. He continued schooling, earning a second degree, a Bachelor's degree in Law, after which he became a silent partner in a law firm. Michael was very knowledgeable about construction work to the extent that when he bought the old farmhouse at 5411 Old Frederick Road (1952-53), he could and did refurbish it, tiling floors, building closets, adding and updating electric wiring and generally making many comfortable changes. In 1961-62 Mike and Betty decided to try living on the Eastern Shore, as he had always thought he might enjoy living on the water. But after two or three years of driving back and forth across the Bay Bridge, and discovering that close proximity to the water was destroying their Potthast furniture, they decided to move back to Baltimore where they rented a home until deciding to buy property in Severna Park where they built a large home on Kennedy Drive, where Michael lived until his death in 1973. Records in the LDS Family Search database incorrectly list his death date as March 12, 1972, and the Social Security Death Index incorrectly lists his death date as February 1973. The death date included here (March 12, 1973) comes from the memorial card distributed at his wake; the publishing date of the following obituary provides further evidence of a March 1973 date. His obituary appeared in The Baltimore Sun, Sunday, March 15, 1973: "A mass of the resurrection for Michael J. Potthast, who had been chief of the general accounting division in the State Comptroller's office for eight years prior to his recent retirement, will be offered at 10:00 A.M. today at St. John the Evangelist Church in Severna Park. Mr. Potthast, who was 61, and lived at 239 Kennedy Drive in Severna Park, died Monday at home after a long illness. "He began his 29 years in the comptroller's office in 1944 as deputy state auditor, a post he held until 1962 when he was named chief deputy treasurer. He attained his final post in 1965. His career sometimes placed him in political controversies, among them one in 1968 over the cost of the proposed constitutional reform, which was later defeated by the voters. A native of Baltimore, Mr. Potthast had earlier worked for Ernst and Ernst, an accounting firm. He had been a resident of Catonsville for many years before moving to Severna Park ten years ago. "A certified public accountant, he was a graduate of the University of Baltimore and its law school. He had been president of the Maryland Public Finance Officers Association and the State Employee's Credit Union, and was a member of the Municipal Finance Officers Association and the National Association of State Auditors. "He was also a member of the Annapolis Elks Club, the Holy Trinity Council of the Knights of Columbus, the Severn Post of the American Legion, the 6B Democratic Club and the Westridge Improvement Association. During World War II he served in the U.S. Coast Guard. "He is survived by his wife, the former Mary Elizabeth Piquette, two daughters, Mrs. William F. Wimsatt of Louisville, and Mrs. Ronald E. Grill of Woodlawn, a son, Michael J. Potthast, Jr. of Severna Park, a brother, Berthold T. Potthast of Catonsville, and nine grandchildren."
Georg
Potthast
