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. Jan has been home for about three weeks now, but Bret's "earthly suit" finally arrived in Miami a couple of days ago...so this process has taken well over a month.

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 there is no life insurance policy to help with finances going forward. 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 and will definitely help her financially as she moves 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. Also many thanks to those of you who have chosen to share this on your social media page or via email with family and friends. If you are a firefighter, please share this among your colleagues within your respective department. I know that the fire family is strong, and we all try to help each other in times of need.

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.

Just a little bit about Bret....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, church 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.

Bret's memorial service will be held on March 24th at 12:00 noon at the Maranatha Chapel in Rancho Bernardo, 10752 Coastwood Rd, San Diego, CA 92127. There will also be a Paddle Out in Bret's memory at Tide Park, 302 Solana Vista Dr, Solana Beach, Ca 92075 (stairs at Pacific Ave. and Solana Vista Dr.) on Tuesday, March 25th at 11:00 am. Both of these memorials are open to anyone.

P.S. News10 did a story on Bret. Click here to view it. Thank you, Michael Chen, and News10! 10News Story