This isn’t baseball related but it is something I want to share regardless - my older brother Donnie passed away on 9/17/24 and since I have a forum to do so I wanted to share my respect for him and the influence he made upon me.
I am truly saddened but wanted to let you all know how much my brother Donnie influenced my life and how very much he was appreciated and loved.
Life happens - It’s the little things of daily life that impact others, I remember him dropping me off to school at Greenwood Elementary each day and waiting to see if I got indoors ok. I remember how proud I was that my two big brothers came to see me pitch as a twelve year old in an all-star game in Chester which to me was the “big city” at the time. There was the day one Christmas season that we came to visit him and my sister in law Sherry at their first apartment in Kennett - for some reason the shiny wood floor and the sparkle of that year’s Christmas tree always stands out in my mind. When I started a baseball league in Kennett they stepped up as a principal sponsor. He was a sounding board for me as I climbed the corporate ladder in my own career offering advice and just listening to my experiences, that was cool - just listening.
He taught me how to square up a ditch when I helped him during the initial years of Potter Electric. What stood out to me in that lesson was the inference that the quality of the work was vitally important regardless of the task. The ditches would eventually be covered but the way they presented the tubing and wiring within them was emblematic of the pursuit of always doing the best job possible, to always do it right whether anyone was watching or if the work was never seen. I botched more than a few things helping, I am not gifted mechanically and certainly failed the test of running wire flat and tacking it without splitting the plastic a few times but I learned how to apply the pursuit of excellence to things I am skilled at which helped me in my own career. He later taught those very same lessons to my son Nolan.
I’m sure each and every person who had the distinction of working for Potter Electric likely heard Donnie’s bark but also garnered tremendous respect as they ventured to avoid his bite. I’ve always admired the work ethic of both Donnie and Sherry and the approach to always do things the right way. It was because of Potter Electric that the conservatory at Longwood lighted up and thousands of folks continue to appreciate the beauty within and it was the generous nature of Donnie & Sherry that a men’s baseball league formed in our hometown which allowed hundreds of people to play a kids game once more, something that wouldn’t have occurred otherwise. The impacts of their efforts strengthened the community and provisioned joy and life events. I will always admire that.
Family is our truest legacy and while we cannot control each other’s experiences in life we do impact them. My brother Donnie’s heart was genuine and albeit some may have found it more hidden under a tough and yes sometimes stubborn shell there is no one in our family who didn’t realized his kindness at some point. It’s reflected in the daily life of those of us who knew him and it goes beyond family as well. The way he and Sherry took care of our Mom and Dad along with Sherry’s pop Clyde in their elder years and others when they needed it most didn’t go unnoticed, maybe not as appreciated as it should have been but never unnoticed.
I just wanted to tell you all these things because often times we don’t express gratitude of this sort. He and Richard are my older brothers but they are also my role models, I love each very much. The brotherly bond that those two had was very special, as the younger sibling I always enjoyed being around them, while my interests are/were completely different it is/was the profound respect between them that I found nourishing and longed to be around. Really cool even though most times I had no clue about the subject matter being spoken about.
Rest peacefully Don-Don, you have definitely earned the right to do so.
Love,
Your younger brother Stevie
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