Morton Potashnick

He was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri on September 23, 1938 to the late Eugene Nathan and Vivian Dye Potashnick. He graduated from Sikeston High School in 1956 where he was a player on the Sikeston Bulldogs football team. He attended the University of Missouri (Columbia) and was a member of the Delta Upsilon fraternity. After college, his adventurous spirit led him to take a job in South America working on natural gas and oil pipelines. He became fluent in Spanish and remained bilingual for the rest of his life. His uncle, R.B. Potashnick, had a road, bridge, and dam construction company outside of Cape Girardeau at Dutchtown and he invited him to come to work for his company starting a natural gas and oil pipeline division of R.B. Potashnick Construction Company which he was president of the pipeline division for many years. His work led him to travel all over the United States, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and many other foreign countries. After R.B. Potashnick’s death, he decided to start his own company called Potashnick Energy Services and did consulting work in the natural gas and oil industries. He was an avid boater who had his boat captain license and he did humanitarian work doing medical missions where he took doctors, dentists, and medications to Cuba.

He was a lifelong member of the First United Methodist Church in Sikeston. He was a member of the Sikeston Elks Lodge and a member of the Sikeston Kiwanis Club. He was an avid golfer and a member of the SEMO Seniors Golf Association.

On June 24, 1971, he married Jane Ella Yount in Sikeston, MO.

They had three children together and she survives him.

He is survived by: one daughter, Heyde Elizabeth Rendleman and her husband, Todd Rendleman of Oran, Missouri; one son, John Douglas Potashnick and his wife, Virginia Goodin Potashnick of St. Louis, Missouri; four grandchildren, Ella Heyde Rendleman and Nicholas Todd Rendleman of Oran, Missouri; Margaret Lilly Elizabeth Potashnick and Nicholas Goodin Potashnick of St. Louis, Missouri. One sister, Sarah Ponder and her husband, James Ponder of Charleston, Missouri. One sister-in-law, Sue Potashnick of Sikeston, Missouri and many wonderful nieces and nephews.

Besides his parents, he was preceded in death by one son, Nicholas Marshall Potashnick. His brother, Fielding Potashnick and his sister, Eugenia York and her husband, William York III.

Visitation is scheduled on Wednesday, December 14th from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm then the funeral service will begin at 1:00 pm all at the Nunnelee Funeral Home in Sikeston, Missouri with burial immediately afterwards at the Sikeston Memorial Park alongside his son and his parents. The Rev. Jennifer Moxley will officiate.

Pallbearers will be Michael Ponder, David Potashnick, Miko McRoy, Justin Lankheit, Jordan Masters, Andy McGill, Tom Nunnelee Jr. and Garrett Taylor.

Honorary Pallbearers will be James Ponder, Dale Dye Jr., William York IV, Charles Chilcutt, Terry Dame, Rene DeKriek, Travis Garrett and John Hux Jr.

Memorial contributions may be made to: Sikeston Kiwanis Club, Attn: Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 234, Sikeston, MO. 63801 or First United Methodist Church, 1307 N. Main St., Sikeston, MO. 63801.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.nunneleefuneralchapel.com for the Potashnick family.