Claudia Potter

Claudia Phillips Clark (Potter) passed away on August 13, 2019 due to natural causes at the age of 75.  Claudia was born in Lakeview, OH, outside Cleveland, on July 8th, 1944 to Burt and Eleanor Clark.  She had an older sister Connie, an older brother Rick, and a younger brother Lew.  She married her husband Michael Long on 9/13/1965 and later divorced in 1975.  She is survived by her two children Scott and Erin, and three grandchildren Jack, Michael, and River. 

Claudia went to Michigan State University and was the first female to enroll in and graduate from their Hotel and Restaurant Management program.  She went on to have a very successful career in hotel sales and marketing.  She was a trailblazer for women in the industry, entering leadership early on, before the industry opened up to women. She became a mentor to many who are blazing their own trails in the industry today.

She lived an active life all throughout and everyone who knew her, even briefly, knew her mischievous sense of humor, ready laugh, can-do attitude, and unbridled enthusiasm for so many things—get-togethers, special events, shows, books, movies, arts, and music.  She could often be found dancing (sometimes on a bar) with a huge smile on her face and a chardonnay in hand.

Her career brought her many places and she lived, at one time or another, in: Cleveland OH, East Lansing MI, Milwaukee WI, San Diego CA, Bronxville NY, Dallas TX, Gun Barrel City TX, Marina Del Rey CA, New Orleans LA, Seattle WA, and Fort Walton Beach FL.

Claudia loved her children deeply and unconditionally, and was a loving and devoted grandmother who would gush about her grandchildren without end.  Claudia had been living in her condo on the Gulf in Fort Walton Beach, amongst a wonderful community of loving friends.

She lived a full life with no regrets.

Well…maybe one regret: she didn’t accept that lunch invite with the Beatles.