Roy Potratz of Waterloo passed away at home on February 8, 2013.

He was born July 14, 1950, in Oelwein, Iowa, the fourth child of seven to Carl and Alice (Downing) Potratz. He was baptized at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Westgate, Iowa, on August 1, 1950. Growing up on the family farm two miles north of town, he attended kindergarten at a country school about a quarter mile east of the farm and completed grades 1‑8 at St. Peter’s parochial school. He was confirmed at St. Peter’s in May 1964. Roy graduated from West Central High School in Maynard as class valedictorian in 1968 and graduated from Upper Iowa University in Fayette in 1972 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics and Mathematics. He then moved to Waterloo to work for John Deere where he was employed for 37 years–the first few in Production Control and the remainder in Computer Systems. There he met his wife‑to‑be, Jean K. Guetzlaff, and they married September 27, 1975, at Trinity American Lutheran Church in Waterloo, Jean’s childhood church.

Roy and Jean moved to their Finchford home along the West Fork River in November 1976 and there raised three children who attended Cedar Falls schools. During those years, Roy completed his Master of Business Administration degree at the University of Northern Iowa. He was active at Nazareth Lutheran Church in Cedar Falls, playing piano and teaching for Sunday school and later teaching confirmation classes. After transferring to Trinity American Lutheran in Waterloo in 2005, he served on their Worship and Music Committee.

After 2008’s historic Cedar River Valley floods claimed their Finchford home of 32 years, Roy and Jean moved to Landmark Commons on the south edge of Waterloo. Roy, however, often returned to the property in order to enjoy the outdoors. The Black Hawk County Conservation Board recently designated their 28 acres as a public reserve named the Potratz Nature Area.

After 35 years of marriage, Jean passed away in 2009 just as Roy was retiring. Since that time he has made major travel excursions to the Grand Canyon and the Pacific Northwest. Since 2011 he has been an active member of Ascension Lutheran Church in Waterloo.

Roy is survived by his three children: Eric Potratz of Cedar Falls; Laura Potratz of Paris, France; and Andrew (Allison) Potratz of Story City; by his grandson, Josiah Potratz; by his siblings: Robert (Linda) Potratz of Cedar Falls; Laurel Eickhoff of Kansas City, Missouri; Ralph Potratz of Waterloo; Loyce (Ken) Oelrich of Fayette; and Russell (Glenda) Potratz of Cedar Falls; by his mother-in-law, Dorothy Guetzlaff of Waterloo; and by many nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his father Carl in 1990, mother Alice in 2001, brother Randy in 2004, and beloved wife Jean in 2009.