John Rust Potter, III, age 50, of Charlottesville, Virginia died on Saturday July 26th at Walnut Creek Park in Albemarle County.

John was born in Brunswick, Georgia, but he considered his hometown to be Earth and all its inhabitants his neighbors. He was the son of John Rust Potter, Jr. and Barbara Perkins Sheridan, and the step-son of the late Thomas Sheridan. He is survived by both of his parents.

John grew up in Lakeland, Florida with his sister, Ann Potter Herchenrider and brother William Patrick Sheridan, along with a band of brothers, George B. Shaw, Michael McDonald, Donnally Bailey and Mark Shafer, who from early on shared his subtle humor, inclination for shenanigans, and dedication for living life to the fullest.

John received a Bachelor of Science in Computer Programming from the University of Florida. After spending a brief period of time working in a bank, John decided to combine his analytical talents with his deep love and concern for forests and nature and received a Master's degree in Environmental Economics from the Duke School of the Environment. He followed this with a tour in the Peace Corps in Morocco, stationed in the Atlas Mountains above Marrakesh. His subsequent professional career spanned both community planning and health information technology.

John and his wife, Brynne, settled in Charlottesville in 1992 where they started their family with Max (1992) and Jeremy (1996). John's love for his family defined what it means to be a "pillar". He brought his calm, joyous light to every endeavor and that light helped to grow a community of extended family, friends and neighbors that will remember his contributions to his Neighborhood Association (Locust Grove), the Alliance for Community Choice in Transportation (ACCT), and various civic groups and events dedicated to building a sustainable community.

John was a loving husband to his wife Brynne and a proud and amazing father to his two sons Max and Jeremy. He instilled in his children a love of adventure and playful humor. He was a dedicated learner and a "philosophizer" who enjoyed life's paradoxes as an accompaniment to a good meal. His values were strong and simple: Be Good. Eat Well. Aspire and Grow.

John loved being in nature and was an inveterate skinny-dipper. He loved running, hiking and biking, exploring and playing outdoors. John died doing something he loved on a beautiful day and had just been expressing to his friend all the ways that his life was so good as of that moment. When John fell, he suffered a wound to his abdomen and femoral artery. John, his cycling partner Derek, and two volunteer samaritans were heroic in their efforts to save and preserve his life. John died in the arms of a friend, eyes to the sky with the names of his wife and children being whispered in his ear. Just as in life, he was courageous even in death.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/133678633/john-rust-potter