Durward Wells Potter

Bryson City - Durward Wells Potter passed peacefully away in the sunshine on Saturday, December 27, 2025 at the age of 94.

He was a retired teacher, professional musician and world traveler. He was born in Duplin County, NC on November 11, 1931 to parents, Harry and Jessie Taylor Potter.

Durward was preceded in death by his wife and love of his life, Mary Lee Potter. He is survived by his sons, Durward, Jr. and Tim; four grandchildren; two great-grandsons; two brothers, George and Dan and their families. He also leaves behind a step-family that he loved dearly, Lisa, Vera, Martin and the children.

He graduated from Jacksonville High School in 1949 then went out to see the world and play music with his best friend, Chuck. He joined the Army in 1951 and served in Germany during the Korean Conflict. After discharge, he used his GI Bill funding to get his education. Graduating from ECU in 1956 with a BA, majoring in geography and minoring in music. He then continued on to Indiana University and graduated with a MA in georgraphy in 1957. He was a proud life member of the American Federation of Musicians, the Foreign Legion, and the VFW.

Durward taught geography in Prince George's County, Maryland from 1957 until his retirement in 1984. While working full time as a teacher during the day, his off hours were spent as a professional musician playing the stand up bass with various bands in hotels and country clubs, behind chidken wire in dive bars, at the Grand Ole Opry, the White House, and with Little Jimmy Dickens. In his retirement, he played locally at the Bryson City train depot and the Smoky Mountain Jamboree in Cherokee.

Durward's love of geography and travel took him around the world and he kept us entertained with tales of his adventures. He walked the bridge over the River Kwai and the Silk Road in Iran. He had been to every country in North, Central, and South America. He traveled to 84 foreign countries and every continent except Antarctica. He sailed on a freight boat down the Amazon and across the Atlantic on the QE2. He hitched a ride with Chinese soldiers in Tibet, flew on the Concorde and went from Suriname to French Guiana in a dugout canoe. He saw the Taj Mahal, the Berlin Wall, the temples of Angkor Wat, the Panama Canal and the Mona Lisa. He went to Machu Picchu, Pompei, Dachau Concentration Camp and the catacombs in Kiev. He had been to the Kremlin, the Roman Baths, the Mayan temples, and the Moulin Rouge. He went to Notre Dame, Evita's grave, Ghandi's cremation site, into the center of a Great Pyramid and to Stonehenge twice. In 1969, he flew around the world visiting 22 countries and in 1983, he drove a car behind the Iron Curtain over 3,000 miles and 11 countries.

There is an old saying that he loved to quote "I've seen some sights and drunk branch water." We are sure that he did.

There will be no services per his request but donations to a charity of your choice are encouraged as a way to honor his life and legacy.