Help Jan Potter Bring Bret Home

Hello. My name is Natalie Kaczur and I am fundraising for a very dear friend of mine, Janet Potter, who has been through an unexpected and unimaginable tragedy.

I have known Jan and Bret Potter since our children were babies. Bret was a firefighter for the Solana Beach FD, as was my husband, Greg. They were not only "fire brothers," but became great friends - a friendship that has lasted long after they have both retired.

About a month ago, Bret and Jan went on a much-needed and well-deserved vacation and took a cruise to Turks and Caicos. They had beautiful weather and of course the beaches were amazing. This was indeed a dream for Bret being an avid surfer, fisherman, kayaker, paddle boarder and just simply enjoying walks on the beach with his wife of 38 years, Jan. There was a snorkeling excursion offered to the cruise passengers during the trip. Bret, being such an ocean lover, jumped at the chance to explore the local waters. Unfortunately, after Bret finished snorkeling and got back into the skiff, he suffered a major heart attack and was taken to a "nearby" hospital. However, they were unable to resuscitate him, and he passed away on February 2nd at the age of 59.

Jan had stayed behind in their cabin on the ship because she wasn't feeling well, so needless to say, the news of Bret's passing was a major shock to her. But this was just the beginning. Jan had to stay on Grand Turk until the local authorities completed their regulatory processing prior to allowing Jan to transport Bret back to the US. This whole process took almost two weeks, and as of this writing (2/28/25) Jan is finally back home but Bret's "earthly suit" is not.

So why am I asking for donations? As it turns out, not only is it a very lengthy process, but it is very expensive to repatriate a deceased person from the Turks to the US. It is about $12,000! Although Bret was a firefighter for several years, due to a medical condition, the City of Solana Beach made Bret retire at the age of 48 (vs. assigning him an administrative position for two years). By retiring prior to reaching 50 years old, he was short of having a fully vested retirement, which could have then been transferred to Jan upon his death. So now Jan is left without Bret's retirement income and Bret did not have life insurance. She is a flight attendant for Alaska Airlines and is currently on leave in order to attend to all that needs to be done and to give her time to grieve the unexpected loss of her husband and best friend. I'm sure that she could use any amount to help offset the expenses incurred by this tragedy as well as help with moving forward in her life without Bret.

If you feel led to donate, thank you from the bottom of my heart and I'm sure Jan will be overwhelmed by your kindness. Whether or not you choose to donate, please, please keep Jan in your prayers as she processes her grief as well as the grief of her three daughters and grandchildren.

And just a side note about Bret. As mentioned above, Greg and I have known Bret for a very long time. He was a truly giving man and would literally give you the shirt off his back even if that's all he had. He gave so much of himself to his family, friends, and even strangers. He had a heart of gold, and I feel so incredibly blessed to have called him my friend. Both Greg and I will miss him dearly, but we are comforted in the fact that he went from an earthly paradise to his heavenly paradise with God his Father.