Linda S. Potter

November 3, 1944 - March 11, 2019

Linda Simpson Potter, age 74, passed away on March 11, 2019, when she was struck by a car while riding her three-wheel bicycle home from yoga class in Bokeelia, Florida.

Linda was born on November 3, 1944, in Washington, DC, to Col. Robert B. and Dorothy Simpson. Her father served in the U.S. military, and the family often moved while she grew up, taking her from Washington, DC, to Spain and then to North Carolina. She married John C. Ulfelder in 1965 while attending the University of North Carolina. They divorced in 1972 after having two sons, William (Bill) Harrison Ulfelder II and John (Jay) C. Ulfelder, Jr. Linda married Francis (Frank) James Potter in 1979, and the family relocated from Washington, DC, to Chapel Hill, North Carolina, later that year. Linda and Frank moved to Princeton Junction, New Jersey, in 1996 and then to Pineland, Florida, in 2011.

Linda graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1966. She earned a master’s degree in human development from the University of Maryland in 1975 and a doctorate in public health from the University of North Carolina in 1984. She devoted most of her professional life to organizations and projects in service of family planning and women’s health. In North Carolina in the 1980s and 90s, she worked as a research scientist for Family Health International, and her work on oral-contraception compliance took her overseas to countries that included Colombia, Egypt, Pakistan, and Thailand. She was also a founding member and served on the board of directors for Planned Parenthood of Orange and Durham Counties and as the board’s president for a time. After moving to New Jersey, she continued working as a public-health researcher and teacher with the Office of Population Research at Princeton University and the UMDNJ School of Public Health, among others.

After Linda and Frank moved to Pine Island, Florida, in 2011, Linda spent much of her time volunteering with organizations that included the Friends of Cayo Costa State Park, the Randell Research Center, the Calusa Land Trust, the Calusa Heritage Trail, and the Pine Island Garden Club, and tutoring people learning English as a second language through Beacon of Hope’s ESOL program. She was an avid gardener and sheller.

Linda is survived by her husband, Frank; her two sons, Bill and Jay Ulfelder; her brother, Robert; and her grandchildren, Parker, August, and Isabella. She was predeceased by her sister, Barbara Wade.

A celebration of Linda’s life will be held later this spring.

Memorial contributions in memory of Linda Potter are suggested to Friends of Cayo Costa State Park (https://friendsofcayocosta.org/) or Planned Parenthood South Atlantic,plannedparenthood.org/parenthood-south-atlantic

Mullins Memorial Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Cape Coral, is entrusted with final care.

Guestbook

  1. Juanita DAnna n Dominick Oct 9, 2020 at 11:02 am

    Beautiful women we had the pleasure of meeting. Til I see you again.

  2. Karen Groesbeck Sep 30, 2022 at 5:54 pm

    Dear Frank,
    I’m hoping you remember me from working together at Mathematica. I’ve been thinking about you after reading about the devastation caused by Ian in South Florida. I googled your name and learned of Linda’s passing…… I am so sorry for your loss……I can’t express how sad I am over Linda’s passing. I knew you had moved to Pine Island and I had imagined you enjoying your new life as a retired couple! II often thought about visiting you when we were in Sarasota. Now that the hurricane has left such devastation, I wanted to reach out to see if you were able to weather the storm and also realizing that this is a 2nd storm you are weathering since 2019. I’m hoping you and your children are well….please shoot me a short email and let me know that you are safe, OK? Karen

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