David Charles Potter

David Charles Potter, 72, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, December 22, 2021. A graveside service will be held on Wednesday, December 29, 2021, at 11:00 a.m. at Sparkman/Hillcrest in Dallas.

David was born on February 23, 1949, in Santa Monica, California. He was the first in his family to be born in the United States following his parents' emigration from England in 1947. His family remained in Santa Monica until 1955, before briefly living in Bluefield, West Virginia . David spent most of his childhood in Durham, North Carolina. In high school, he moved to San Angelo, Texas. Following his graduation from San Angelo Central High School in 1967, David's family moved to the Philippines and David moved to Dallas to attend Southern Methodist University. At SMU, David was a member of Pi Kappa Alpha Fraternity. In 1972, he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration.

David had a creative, entrepreneurial spirit beginning in his youth. As a young child, he vaccinated chickens on a farm in exchange for riding a horse, a story he often told his daughters when they requested funds for extracurricular activities. He also had a paper route as a young boy. While a student at SMU, David worked at a telephone wire company. It was there that he came up with the idea to sell used phone equipment. He bought phone equipment that had been discarded as scrap metal, refurbished it and sold it. At age 20, he bought a crate of equipment for $850 and resold one piece for $50,000. With his profits he was able to pay for his senior year of college and buy a Buick Riviera.

Seeing the opportunity for a business selling used telephone equipment, David founded Source, Inc. in 1971 during his senior year of college. He ran the company for most of his life. At its peak, Source was the largest independent reseller of new and refurbished telecommunications equipment in the country. David prided himself on the company's database of used inventory and its ability to provide that inventory quickly to customers in need.

In addition to his love of phones, David was a licensed pilot and aviation enthusiast. He met his former wife, Carol, at an airplane hangar at Love Field. David also loved cars, especially his signature BMWs. David will be remembered for his many "Potterisms", witty sayings he used regularly. In any gathering of David's friends or family, one is likely to hear David originals such as "It's better to know than to guess" or "Remember there's no bargains on brain surgery, parachutes or telephone equipment!"

David is preceded in death by his parents, Ronald and Doris Potter and his sister, Celia Potter. He is survived by his beloved daughters, Casey (Kyle Poelker) of Houston, Texas, and Kelly (Samuel Johnson) of Denison, Texas, and one grandson, Ford Louis Poelker. He is also survived by his sister, Tracy Potter, and her children and his former wife, Carol Craig Potter.

David's daughters would like to express their deepest appreciation to special caregiver, Robin Cashion, and the staffs of Sunrise Senior Living of Frisco and CarePlus Hospice, for their loving, compassionate care of David in his final years. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to the Association for Frontotemporal Dementia, the Alzheimer's Association or the charitable organization of your choice.