Barbara Jean Potter, née Stenquist, age 76, passed away December 26, 2025, at UW Health in Madison, Wisconsin.
Barbara was born August 20, 1949, in Elmhurst, Illinois and grew up in Lombard, Illinois. Her parents were John Stenquist and Dorothy Stenquist, née McCarthy. She graduated from Glenbard East High School and Moser Business School in Chicago. Barb went on to a successful career in administration in healthcare and at Western Folder Company, where she handled the Amtrak account. Because of the efficiencies she introduced to the distribution of everything from timetables and brochures to payroll, Barb was invited to address the annual Amtrak convention in Washington, DC.
Barbara had a passion for travel. She has visited all 50 states in the US and over 30 foreign countries. (Her favorites were Austria and Ireland.) She also was an avid crafter. She enjoyed restoring furniture, painting, and Diamond Dots. She loved reading, movies, and music.
Upon retirement, Barbara and her husband moved from the Chicago area to Hillsboro, Wisconsin, in the beautiful Driftless Area. Her outgoing personality and willingness to serve the people in her adopted home town won her many dear friends. She was an active volunteer in the Hillsboro Lions Club, Gundersen St. Joseph’s Foundation Board, The Hillsboro Woman’s Civic Club, and Friends of the Hillsboro Public Library.
Barbara was devoted to her family. She and her husband of 37 years were parents of four, grandparents of five, and great-grandparents of four.
Barbara is survived by her husband, Robert Potter, her sister, Kathleen Hartwig, née Stenquist (Dan); her children, Kenneth Clemons (Tammie), Christina Clemons (Justin Golden), and stepson Michael Potter (Janet); her grandchildren, Sarah White, Aleah Clemons, Joseph Clemons, and Madeline Potter; great-grandchildren, Aubrey, Lydia, Brynnleigh, and Cayden; nephew Jeff Hartwig; and nieces Laura Winnett, née Hartwig, and Deborah Hartwig.
She was preceded in death by her parents, John Stenquist and Dorothy Stenquist, née McCarthy; her brother, Thomas Stenquist; her stepson Richard Potter; and her grandson Alex Jones.
Visitation will be held Monday, January 5, 2026, from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. followed by her funeral at 2:00 p.m. at Picha Funeral Home in Hillsboro. Friends and family are invited to Hillsboro Hotel for a luncheon and celebration of Barb’s life after the service. Interment will take place at Pleasant Hill Cemetery in Frankfort, Illinois, at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, January 6, 2026.
The Picha Funeral Home in Hillsboro is assisting, for online information go to www.pichafuneralhomes.com.
