The Eulogy given by Chris Leggett at Micah's funeral

If I Ever Had a Friend

Micah Potter was born at Pioneer Memorial Hospital in St. George Utah, on August 31, 1970. He accomplished many firsts that day. He was the first child born to Dan and Nanette Potter, the first grandchild, the first great grandchild, and the first great, great grandchild on his mother’s side of the family. I didn’t get the pleasure of meeting him until five years later, when he was the first “new kid” to move into our street. When Micah, his parents Dan and Nanette, and baby sister Wendy moved into our neighborhood on Stanley Avenue in North Las Vegas, we welcomed the him by meeting him in his back yard and checking out his toys. Micah liked to remind us that not long after that, we all threw rocks at him. That’s the same day we learned to be afraid of Dan.

Micah grew up in a beautifully kept, modest home, at 1117 Stanley Avenue. In this home, presided over by his father Dan, and his mother Nanette, the children in the Potter home were taught self-reliance, work, and the joy of family. Micah learned the Gospel within those walls, and built the foundation of a deep and abiding testimony, and a love for the Savior and a desire to be like Him.

Micah loved to quote a favorite scripture of his from the Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi, 2:25. It reads: Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. It’s my pleasure now to share a few of Micah’s joys and the joy he brought to others.

The joy of childhood

Stanley Avenue was a joyous place to live and play. Across the street he had Stacey and Kelly Woods, two doors down, he had Keith Bunker, and two doors in the other direction, he had me. Inside of his house he had his amazing parents, and his sisters Wendy, Michelle, Susan, and his brother David. Both sets of his grandparents, the Toblers, and the Potters lived on the same street. Dan and Nanette provided a wonderful home for their children full of love and beauty. Their yards were always the envy of the neighborhood, and they put Micah to work in them. On Saturday you could always find Micah working with his dad, in the yard, on the car, or any other place Dan could pass on what he knew. Perhaps this fostered Micah’s love of gardening, and working with his hands. With so many kids, and so many friendly homes, it was an ideal place to grow and play.

The fun on Stanley was non-stop. Micah played touch football games in the street that only ended when the Nerf football soaked up too much gutter water to fly straight, or if it became too dark to see. The field spanned from light pole to light pole. The NFL has commercial time outs, we had to stop when someone yelled “car!” He was a great all-time quarterback. He played hide-n-go seek after the sun went down like a ninja, at least until Battlestar Galactica came on. He played with Tonka trucks in the dirt at my house, because we never had any grass and let’s face it, we needed the dirt for our construction zone. He played civilized games like croquet, and not so civilized games like kill the man, which actually never claimed a life, but always ended when someone went home crying. He climbed trees, and swam at the Bunkers and both Grandparents pools. He played kickball, baseball, rollerskated, skate boarded and rode bikes. Through it all, Micah was rarely seen without his trusty Dodgers cap. He dabbled in pop warner football, and then there was the Primary Softball team.

Micah played pitcher and a mean third base on the championship 7th ward Primary softball team piloted by the Tommy Lasorda of church ball, the venerable Russ Woods. The North Stake ball fields became our second home during softball season. Russ would load us all in his big brown van he used to carpool to the test site, and take us all to the ball field. We practiced hard. Russ forged us into a team. He made us look legit with sweet blue and orange uniforms, and we won a championship trophy. Micah still has the trophy. It’s in the shape of a mitt and it holds a ball signed by the whole team.

The Joy of Adolescence

As a teenager Micah could be a little rebellious, but never against things that really mattered. I think in many ways he rebelled against the world and its’ ridiculous ways. He held simpler and more innocent times in great regard. He loved the music, ideals, and character of our grandparents’ generation. I remember him loving classic clothes as a teenager. We raided our grandfather’s closets for cardigan sweaters, vintage ties, and double breasted suits. He wore them proudly to school and church. He attended Rancho High School and joined the international baccalaureate program where he proceeded to drive his teachers crazy by not doing much classwork, but passing their tests. He made life-long friends in that program and loved them dearly. Micah hung out with a group of kids that called themselves the geeks. At heart, I think being a geek in this sense is the ability to have fun creatively without getting into real trouble. Sure, cars were filled with newspaper as pranks, tops were sawed off of station wagons to make them convertible, cone heads were worn to Rancho football games…it was all in GOOD fun, and Micah was a kindred spirit to them all. If you happen upon this group of friends, you are likely to hear discussions about bicycles, endless stories from crazy younger days, and of course there will be quoting of the world’s most hilarious and quirky movies. We all loved hearing Micah roar with laughter at our last movie get together. So, hey, if you can quote The Three Amigos, Strange Brew, Breaking Away, or The Little Rascals, you’re in. It is also a bonus if you can recall the glory of the 89’ Tour de France or sing songs from Fred Astaire musicals.
In his teenage years he played church softball, as well as golf for Rancho High School. He took up running, cycling, and triathalon. We used to love to bike together. He was supremely talented at endurance sports and I could only keep up with him until he began training hard. After that, he would ride me and Eric and everyone else off his wheel. The key to riding with Micah was to get a good conversation going, or get him to sing song after song so only half of his aerobic capacity was dedicated to making us suffer on the bike. I will always remember riding side by side with him or trading pulls with him on long rides. I can only imagine what people thought of our little peloton of friends riding by belting out songs from the Three Amigos!
After my baptism, Micah was always a perfect priesthood example to me. He always took the time to explain any questions I had about the church or the gospel, as it was all new and weird to me. He had such a deep understanding, even as a teenager. I will always appreciate how he shepherded me to church, activities, and camp outs, and never left my side. He shepherds me still. I am honored to recently been ordained a High Priest by him.
His teenage years were full of great times with the Geeks, dating, and working. He was so proud when he was able to buy his powder blue VW Rabbit. We loved to drive together, whether he was navigating me around in my 65 BMW, or I was riding shotgun in his Rabbit. The music was always great, and we sang everywhere we went. He was with me that tragic night when I blew the engine on my BMW. His empty bowl of Macayos sauce stayed on the passenger seat for years, evidence of his being there that night, eating chips on the way to institute.

The Joy of Learning
If you know Micah, you know that he loves to learn, just not necessarily what’s being taught in the classroom. His mind was ever curious and full of wonder. As a child, he loved to read, and most often one could catch him reading or re-reading one of two things; The Chronicles of Narnia or the World Book Encyclopedia. He was brilliant and always full of facts that interested him. Part of the fun of talking with Micah is letting him empty his brain about the latest thing that fascinated him. His friend Eric Jensen sums it up perfectly: “He had a way of sharing things he knew and noticed about life. He was a good teacher, really, who was passionate about things that were important to him. He loved to talk about politics, and government, and ideas and philosophies and culture and knew something about just about everything. He understood things in a deeper way – and I was always eager to hear his perspective.”

The Joy of Music: by Eric Jensen

Micah’s close friend Eric Jensen writes “Micah loved good music, and had some serious soul. I remember the first time I met him, I was working at Neptune, and he was sent out to bring us “Sham-eeze.” He pulled up and rolled down his window and until that day I don’t think I had ever heard anyone playing James Taylor quite so loud. I don’t think I ever rode in a car with him without JT coming with us in some form.  And we were always singing something. Everywhere. On campouts, on bikes, at Neptune, in seminary, and in the back of Mrs Caroll’s algebra class. Everywhere. We would just be talking and then we would punctuate random thoughts with music. It must have been horrifying to casual observers, who likely thought they might have mistakenly strayed into a filmstuidio backlot of Pirates of Penzance. The music just came out of Micah. I always thought that maybe he was born 40 years too early, and probably too white too. He loved Coltrane and big band and blues and anything that had some soul to it. It was a huge part of him. He understood it in his bones.  

The Joy of Family: By Nanette, Wendy, Michelle, David, and Susan

Micah was three years old before he had to share his parents with any siblings. Wendy was the first to arrive, sixteen months later Michelle joined them and within thirteen months David made his appearance. Susan brought up the rear four years later to complete the family group. Nanette relates this story that may explain the origin of his sense of style. She recalls the handsome little guy being asked to be a child model in the 1975 Bridal Fair along with a cute little girl named Juliet Violet that lived in the same ward. She says they were a hit with the audience and stole the show. Micah wore a dark suit and bow tie, which may just have been the beginning of a love affair with bow ties. Nanette also recalls the joy of having Micah’s both sets of grandparents on the same street. They had many happy times at their homes visiting, eating, swimming, playing games, and watching movies. In fact I think Grandma and Grandpa Potter might have sabotaged the Dan and Nanette’s TV so the grandkids would all walk down the street to watch TV there. David remembers being treated like kings at grandpa Potters. When they would walk in, Grandpa Potter would say to his sweet wife, “Make these boys some food.” Is it any wonder they loved to spend time there?

When Micah was a sixth grader, he wrote a convincing composition on why his mom and dad were deserving of the title “Parents of the Year.” He and his parents were honored with a balloon boquet and their picture in the newspaper. A few years later, in his teenage years his father received a phone call suggesting he look in the front yard. There he found Micah chained to a chair with a picket sign which read “unfair labor practices.” I have to confess to Nanette, that I was in on that one…There was another sign that read “Stop dictorial oppression!” The chains came from my grandfather’s house next door. I’ll never forget our seminary teacher, Brother Puckett driving by and doing a double take at Micah’s protest. I’m sure Micah would never revoke his parents “parent of the year” status, though that public display of family civil disobedience probably earned him some choice words once inside. I’m guessing this was one of those times Dan was too mad to speak….for a long time. In reality, Micah’s life was forever blessed by his wonderful parents. He loves them dearly, and carries in him the best traits of them both. The gentle soul and loving demeanor of his mother, along with the ability to “Cowboy Up” like his father.

Micah’s sister Wendy recalls another of Micah’s special talents he liked to share around the dinner table. He could blow milk or any other liquid out of his tear duct. In the world of kid-dom, that is one amazing ability. He had an eye surgery that granted him that special ability, a virtual X-Man. He could also blow bubbles out of it under water! It was awesome. Wendy also remembers them as teenagers, sitting around the piano with Michelle playing and singing one song after another. She remembers him taking her to the Saturday night dances in their Grandma Potter’s car. While Wendy isn’t sure if he really wanted to take her, or that was the condition of taking the car, I am. Micah loved his siblings and always wanted to include them. When Wendy was pregnant with Morgan, her due date was very close to Micah’s birthday. She said he prayed that she would be born on his birthday, and sure enough she was. From then on he shared his family birthday parties with his niece. Micah had such a special place in his heart, first for his own children, with his nieces and nephews coming in a close second. Wendy’s children, like so many of us remember how much he loved them and are grateful they were able to know him and be a part of his life. He truly was Christ-like and will be missed greatly.

For as long as Susan, Micah’s youngest sister, can remember she has looked up to Micah. He was a great big brother to her. Some of her fondest memories of him were after he returned from his mission. He, of course, tried to teach her Spanish. While she doesn’t remember much Spanish, she remembers loving spending time with him. While Micah was serving in Argentina, she couldn’t wait to read his letters and learn of his adventures. Growing up, Dan had a special nickname for Susan that everyone called her, but as she got older she didn’t allow many people to call her by that name. Micah was one of the special few. In case you are wondering what the nickname is, I won’t reveal it here, except to say it rhymes with “rookie.” Like many of us, Susan recalls a quiet act of service from her big brother. She is grateful for him taking the time to sit with her at the hospital during her husband’s surgery, and read to her to keep her mind off of everything. During the last two years she has watched him endure treatment after treatment. He has been an amazing example of strength for which Susan will always be grateful.

Micah always had style. His sister Michelle remembers this bit of 80’s fashion advice…by the way, cardigans are back, so listen up: Michelle says, “My first thought is "one or none". That is what you and Micah used to tell me when I would wear a cardigan.  Of course that is referring to how many buttons one uses on the cardigan. I always took Micah's advice to heart.  He was always my "cool" older brother.  And of course, he read GQ.

I also have great memories of the New Years Eves we would spend together.  We would join all the senior citizens and go out to eat about 4:30-5:00.  Then we would come home and play rook.  It was always boys against girls to keep tempers in check.

But most importantly are my memories of how much Micah loved my children.  He was always around with a camera. He probably has more pictures of my children then I do.  And he was always willing to answer their questions.
Micah was one of the best people I've known.  I will miss him.”

Micah and his younger brother David always had a special bond. David remembers Micah as a very kind brother who always was glad to let hem tag along and always thought to include him. David did have to endure a little “creative storytelling” such as the mythical sport of monkeyball, and the fictional rule of putting the bird you shot in the backyard with the BB gun in a body bag. Despite giving him the business once in a while, David will always be grateful for being included on his big brother’s adventures. David recalls Micah playing GI Joes with him, and letting him pick the gun he wanted first, although Micah would promptly explain why his was better. David recalls a trip to the movies where he made the mistake of being the only one wearing a jacket. Filet O’ Fish were on sale at McDonalds and for some reason we bought a couple each to eat in the theater. We stuffed his jacket with them. He was afraid of being caught especially with the Styrofoam containers squeaking with every step. On top of that, we went to a different movie than we paid for…With David squeaking in tow, we snuck into Top Gun. David still laughs when he tells that story, though at the time, he thought he had literally taken the highway to the danger zone. David loved to be included on Micah and Minty’s trips to Cedar City where he loves to fish with Micah and Sam and Abby. On one of their trips, Micah repeatedly told Sam to stop flicking his rod around as they walked back to the car. Being his father’s son, he kept doing it, and consequently gave Micah a nice treble hook ear piercing. David got to cut off the barb and push the hook back through the hole in his ear. If that’s not brotherly love, than I don’t know what is.

The Joy of Falling in Love: By Minty

The first time Minty met Micah was when we were 5 and 6 years old. They were the two youngest kids in a community play, a bi-centennial production of The Title of Liberty. He remembers running around with a little girl and she remembers sharing her snacks with a little boy, but they didn’t put two and two together until seeing the pictures of themselves in the play, after they were engaged. The second and most important time they met was in the backseat of a car…at least that’s what they always said…
Minty was over at Heather Swainston’s house who was visiting from school when Micah and another friend stopped by to take her to a dance. She talked Minty into to going, hence, Micah and Minty ended up riding together in the backseat. The car had slick vinyl seats and every turn was what they later came to call “opportunity curves” as they slid into each other. It was her first exposure to Micah’s pool of knowledge. She knew he was something special when he started to sing a song that she thought she only knew, “Blues in the night” (Although he sang what she called the wrong version, meaning the male version. ) While Micah sang the Frank Sinatra version which begins:
“My Mama done tol’ me when I was in knee pants, my mama done tol’ me son, A woman will sweet talk, and give you the glad eye, but when the sweet talkin’s done, A woman’s a two-face, a worrisome thing who’ll leave you to sing the blues…in the night.”
Minty countered with the Ella Fitgerald Version:
“My Mama done tol’ me when I was in pig tails, my mama done tol’ me hon, A man will sweet talk, and give you the big eye, but when the sweet talkin’s done, A man is a two-face, a worrisome thing who’ll leave you to sing the blues…in the night.” I’m sure at this moment Micah may have thought he’d met his match, and possibly his match, and it was that special moment when kidred spirits recognize each other.
It certainly peaked her interest that this guy knew a song from the 40’s. She didn’t know then what a love of music Micah had, and not just any style…all styles. They had a great time at the dance, but it wasn’t until a few weeks later that they met again through another friend, Jennifer. Micah wanted to do something for Minty’s birthday, but rather than ask Minty, he asked Jennifer to put together a movie/dinner group but told her, he was paying. Minty didn’t realize what he had put together through Jen, so she brought a date. Oops. He did not make that mistake again. After that, if he wanted to go out with her, he called and made the plans himself.
Micah and Minty’s friend Eric has this sweet memory of them:
“He loved his kids, his family, but more than anything he loved Minty. I went with them to Cedar City once, before they were officially engaged-I think as a chaperone or professional third wheel or comic relief or something. I remember Micah and Minty in the front seats of a Saturn, cruising up to Brian Head, Aspen tree shadows everywhere, chatting and talking about plans and aspirations and life and them and me not having a care in the world. I remember not being surprised when they announced a few days later that they were going to get married. I think they were taken aback by not being surprised by their announcement, but wasn’t it obvious how much they loved each other, how much he loved her?”
Minty writes: “Marrying Micah, was for me, marrying the best friend I ever could have. I loved to be with him more than anyone. He was fascinating to me and I was never bored, how could you be? He took care of me in so many ways more than I can name and in more ways that I am still finding out. He just knew how to do things and if he didn’t he would find out and do it. I never had to worry about it.
When it came to our sweet, funny children, well, he wanted them to know from the very beginning how much he loved being their father. Sam and Abby came to us after several years of medical treatment. Talk about worth the wait. From the very beginning, he would take the early morning shift so I could get some sleep. He would sing, talk and video the babies… He wanted to establish a relationship of love and trust that would sustain for a lifetime. He stated after we found out about the cancer how grateful he was that he had already built that relationship.
Micah had posted on our fridge, goals he had for raising Sam and Abby…Sam and Abby’s Education Goals read:
Teach them to read and write: how to study: how to think: how to communicate: and general knowledge… and on a more practical level, how to organize time, money management and life.
A quote from Mark Twain posted on the fridge reads:
“Diligently train your ideals upward and still upward toward a summit where you will find the chiefest pleasure in conduct which, while contenting you, will be sure to confer benefits upon your neighbor and the community”.
This was Micah…he was service…I can’t describe how many ways he served me and his children. I am still finding things that he just did without need of acknowledgement. Micah was humble. I love him, and I will miss him, long for the day I that I will be with him again.

The Joy of Fatherhood

In another quiet act of service recently discovered, not knowing if he would be there for the next pinewood derby, Micah has next year’s car nearly finished on his workbench. Sam and Abby could not have been blessed with a greater father.

The Joy of Service

Micah found joy in serving others. He was called to serve in the Buenos Aires Argentina North mission. He served honorably there and loved the country and its people. After his mission he loved to drink Matte’ and tried to teach everyone Spanish. After his mission, he served faithfully in many callings, many of which involved working with young men in the ward and stake level. All of us have benefitted at one time or another from his quiet acts of service.

The Joy of Work (Hey Easy Money!)

As Micah and I talked over the little iron fence between his yard and my grandparents, my grandfather would like to say to Micah, “Hey easy money!” It was hilariously ironic, because Micah’s money at that time came from Neptune Mobile Wash. He was ever kind as he nodded and laughed, but I know he really wanted to say that he just got off of a sixteen hour shift washing cars and just loved to be exploited by an employer that broke every child labor, overtime, and safety law. Micah knew how to work. He learned that at home and then at the various jobs he held. As a youth I remember him always working the hardest at service projects, and having little tolerance for those not pulling their weight. I’m sure his presence is sorely missed by his friends at McGuire Research. I think if we could imagine ideal careers for Micah they might be haberdasher, bike shop owner, farmer, literature or music critic, professor, or author. I always thought he was capable of writing the best non-ficiton books after learning all he could about a subject, since he so loved to share what he learned.

The Joy of Interests

Micah was passionate about many interests. He seemed to never really dabble in anything. He would research and learn until he was an expert. I’ll never be able to list them all but here are a few: Cycling, music, photography, gardening, cooking, reading, Disney, Style, sports, constellations, theater, musicals, Spanish, Soccer, scouting, knives…and the list goes on and on. If only we could have gotten him on to Jeopardy, or at least the Cash Cab.

The Joy of four-legged friendship

The other love of Micah’s life was his Cavalier King Charles Spaniel Rex, of course named after Ronald Reagan’s dog of the same breed. A kindred spirit in dog form, Rex faithfully licked Micah’s hands and face through all his treatments. If he could have licked away Micah’s suffering, he would have. Don’t try to play fetch with him, because he only plays with Micah.

The Joy of Friendship

Whenever I think about conversations with Micah, I think of my absolute favorite thing to do with him, play catch. David and Dan will back me up on this…It didn’t matter if it was a softball, or a football, the best talks we ever had happened between catching and throwing. After all, isn’t that what a conversation really is? Micah is an old soul, a kindred spirit, and every so often he would say the most profound things. One day, while tossing a ball in the street when we were kids, he told me something I will never forget. His words then, as always, carried such a tone of kindness. He said “If I ever had a friend, it was you.” I will never forget those words, spoken by the best friend I could ever have. He was so kind and wise, even as a child. He never judged in conversation, and if you talked to him, you knew, and could feel that he cared. That’s what I will miss most, our conversations over a game of catch, or riding side by side on our bikes.

Closing
Sam and Abby, your father will aways live on in you as he will in all of us. If you want to honor Micah, sing out loud, and I mean so everyone can hear. Sing so that those around you can’t help but feel the joy of it and join in. Go for a bike ride just for the pure pleasure of it. Get passionate about something you love until you know everything about it, then teach it to everyone you know. Go fishing, gather your kids and wonder at the stars. Read poetry, go to a musical, plant a garden. Seek out joy from GOOD fun, from family, from enduring principles, from your friends. Foster within yourself a childlike wonder and never stop learning. Being friends and loved ones with Micah has elevated our lives in every way, from the day we each met him.

Micah, I think I can speak for us all when I say If we ever had a friend, it was you!

I testify that we will be reunited with him through the atoning sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ, and I believe Micah will have glorious wonders beyond our imaginations to share with us all.