Joan Potter Stout

Joan Potter Stout, age 91, passed away on Friday, July 7, 2023, at Skyridge Hospital in Lone Tree, Colorado. She was born December 27, 1931, in Tyler, Texas, to Harold and Leona (Taylor) Potter. Joan was a 1948 graduate of Tyler High School. She graduated at 16 years old, quite young for graduating from high school. After this she attended Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri for one year. She was only 16 when she went away to school, not prepared for a very sophisticated environment she was enthralled with everything available to do including plays and lectures. At the time Stephens College was considered a ‘finishing school’ which had a very strong influence on her life and prepared her for going to university.

Joan graduated from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas with dual degrees in Geology and Geography. Education was very important to Joan, this came from her father, Harold. Joan was a member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority. She held many offices in the sorority and continued to work with the sorority through her life.

Joan married John “Johnny” Stout on March 27, 1954, in Tyler, Texas. They had met when they were 17 years old. John was visiting family in Tyler. They never went to the same college, Joan lived in Tyler and John in Austin. They had a long distant relationship, writing a lot of letters. After they were married, they moved to Columbus Georgia where John was stationed in the Army. Five months after they were married John was stationed in Japan with the Army Ordnance Corps. Joan returned to Texas and back to school at SMU taking graduate classes in Geology for the 16 months while John was overseas. When he returned, they moved to Denver where he attended Colorado School of Mines. During that time Joan worked as a geologist. John worked as a geologist as well and was transferred to Bismark North Dakota with Chevron Oil. While in Bismark their daughter Hope was born. In 1963 they returned to Denver for work. Her son Peter was born in 1970 in Denver.

Joan with her degree in Geography had a passion for travel and wanted to travel the world. Although she didn’t travel the world, she travelled much of the US and made two trips to New Zealand to visit her daughter and son-in-law. She was able to travel the North and South Islands and marveled at being able to stand on the beach at Okarito on the West Coast of the South Island and look out over the Tasman Sea. Because of her love of travel Joan always wanted to go to Antarctica. She was instrumental in her daughter’s travel for work in Antarctica.

Joan loved to read and loved to have long discussions or a good debate. She was involved with the Pi Beta Phi sorority for many years. She loved embroidery and crewel work and all things elegant and pretty. She was involved with the Denver Art

Museum as a docent and lead many tours. Her focus was the Native American exhibits. She was the main caretaker of her children’s pets, including Tuffy, Cairn Terrier cross, Zha Zha a rescue poodle, Pete a canary, Sweetie a Dutch Bunny, various fish, hamsters and chameleon lizard followed by other rescue dogs Digit and Wiggles. And finally Watson, the cat. All the pets lived well beyond normal lifespans, with Watson living to 18. All tributes to her loving care of any living being. She would even guide spiders out of the house just in case they were someone from a previous life.

Joan believed in hard work, getting along in a group and to be self-reliant. She lived by good manners to be polite and courteous to everyone. She was a very kind and conscientious student, worker, wife, and mother. She was the best in a crisis, a skill which came from her father, Harold.

Joan was preceded in death by her parents, Harold and Leona; her brother, Richard Potter. She is survived by her husband, John, daughter Hope Stout Rogers and son-in-law Ron Rogers, and son Peter Stout and daughter-in-law Robyn Russell Stout, and grandsons Brennan, Colin and Trevor Stout; niece and nephew Kim Potter Gaston and Rick Potter and cousins D’Ann Riemer and Barbara Delabano.

In lieu of flowers donations are welcome to the following organizations:

Dogwatch Sanctuary Trust New Zealand - https://dogwatch.co.nz/support-us/donations/ 

Max Fund Animal Adoption Center - https://www.maxfund.org/locationhours/ 

Christchurch Bull Breed Rescue - https://www.chchbullbreedrescue.org.nz/

Or any organization you feel is important to help.

Joan's celebration of life will be held July 29th from 11:00-11:30am at Heflebower Funeral & Cremation Services, 8955 S. Ridgeline Blvd. Ste. #100, Highlands Ranch, CO 80129. A reception will follow.