Henderson, Texas to Marjorie (Johnson) Potter and Julius Calvin Potter and moved around the
state with them and his younger siblings as his parents completed their educations after the
War. He was graduated from Tuloso-Midway High School, Corpus Christi, and entered the
University of Texas’ prestigious Plan II. He switched out of Plan II to pursue pre-med studies,
obtaining his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas in 1966 and his medical degree at
UT Southwestern Medical School in 1970. After his internship at UT Health Science Center in
San Antonio, he served in the US Army at Fort Wolters, Texas, for two years with the rank of
Captain. During his service, Dan qualified as a flight surgeon in the US Army Primary Helicopter
Center. Following his specialty training in internal medicine at UTHSCSA, he maintained a solo
practice next door to Southeast Baptist Hospital from 1977 to his retirement in 2004.
Dan was a dedicated physician who worked long hours, often in the middle of the night,
caring for his patients. Many of his patients were unable to afford a doctor, so he gave them
care at a reduced rate or free. At least one patient paid him in homemade tamales, and when
Dan’s daughter was born, patients responded with an outpouring of hand-knitted and
crocheted baby blankets and sweaters. He was a traditional solo practitioner who rarely took
vacation and often covered his practice 24/7. But he was much, much more. Dan’s first love
had been history, and he pursued that passion lifelong, with a special interest in World War II
(his father’s war) and the American Civil War. His hobbies included painting, drawing and
playing guitar. He had a seemingly endless store of arcane knowledge that he would drop into
conversation at unexpected moments.
Further, he was knowledgeable about structural linguistics and languages, having
studied French and Russian formally but teaching himself basic levels of many other languages
from Cherokee to Tagalog, which he learned so he could speak with his Filipino patients. For
two summers during medical school, Dan treated indigenous people in Valle de Mezquetal,
Mexico, and acquired a basic level of their language, Otomi. He left behind about 30 foreign
language dictionaries and several stacks of novels in French. He loved the study and
consumption of wine, particularly if he could discover bargains. He enjoyed visiting tasting
rooms at various Texas wineries, but in France simply ordered a different local wine with every
meal except breakfast. With his wife he traveled extensively in recent years, circling back
periodically to France, its wines, its battlefields, its beauty, and its language.
Dan was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Mary;
daughter, Suzanne Potter-Padilla and spouse Humberto Padilla, of Houston; stepson Jacob
Moorad and spouse Erin, of Edinburgh, Scotland; stepson Ben Moorad and spouse Stephanie
Barr, of Portland, OR; grandchildren Madeleine and Max Moorad of Edinburgh and Alejandra
and Diego Padilla; sister, Sherry Potter Anderton and spouse Tim, of Huntersville, NC; brother
Steven Potter and spouse Marilu Gonzales, of Houston; and nieces Alyssa Good, Alexis
Cordova, and Morgan Londrie and spouse Chris, and five great-nieces. He was present in the
lives of his stepsons and assisted in their upbringing, to Mary’s eternal gratitude.
The family would like to thank the excellent and compassionate medical professionals
who cared for Dan over the past two years and during his last illness. These include Gregory J.
Guzley, M.D., Peter Smolens, M.D., Edwin “Eli” Whitney, M.D., and Steven Hilburn, M.D., the
nursing staff at North East Baptist Hospital PCU and ICU, and the nurses and therapists of San
Antonio Home Health. Mary and Suzanne wish to especially thank Drs. Smolens and Hilburn
for their supportive and humane care in the last days of Dan’s life.
A memorial service will be held at 2:00 pm on September 15, 2018, at First Unitarian
Universalist Church, 7150 West Interstate 10, San Antonio 78213. A graveside service for the
family will be held at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery.
Those wishing to make donations in Dan’s memory may consider contributions to the Texas Kidney Foundation.
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