Ginny Pottsmith

 

Remembering the Life of Ginny Pottsmith

For a woman who frequently said, “Everything in moderation.”, Ginny had quite the adventurous life. She was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, USSR on Dec 7,1932. She was born during Stalin’s totalitarian rule where he was purging the Soviet population of anyone in dissent with his policies. Millions died through forced labor camps, imprisonment, executions, ethnic cleansing, and famines. Ginny was born to Leda Khemenko and an unnamed Soviet soldier. Leda caught the eye of Noel Iverson, an American farm machinery entrepreneur, who was selling his equipment in the Soviet Union. Noel and Leda were married. Baby Ginny immigrated to the United States. The family eventually settled in New Ulm as Ginny became big sister to her 4 new siblings. The popular Ginny graduated from New Ulm High School in 1951 having been Miss New Ulm, The Homecoming Queen, and the New Ulm Queen of Snows.

As a 13 year-old Campfire Girl Ginny attended the 4-H Camp Esquagama in Gilbert where she met the 15 year-old camp counselor Dick Pottsmith with whom she was less than enamored with. After high school graduation they were reacquainted at the Grand Marais Art Colony, a romance ensued, and they were married on October 17, 1953, after both attending the Minneapolis School of Art. Ginny and Dick were both talented artists. Dick pursued a primarily commercial art career while Ginny became an amazing portrait artist. Here is Ginny describing her art career:

“I am primarily a self taught artist and creativity started at a very young age. My background of instruction and study has been in Classical Realism, which is apparent in the detailed technique in each painting. This care of detail is what often led to commission work. 

Studio works have included still life, landscape, life drawing, and portraiture. Much of my subject matter is representative of people’s daily lives. I have always had a hard time explaining my work – if it pleases others and they can identify with it, then my goal for that piece has been achieved and it has spoken for itself. 

Aside from painting and participating in shows, I have had the wonderful experience of conducting portrait classes in my home studio and at the Range Creative Art Center in Hibbing. As an artist, I am always trying to find new ways to stretch myself and learn more. 

Exhibits have been throughout Minnesota at galleries, juried shows, and cultural events winning awards with “Best of Show” in the professional class by Wild Wings Gallery in Rochester. Notably, I was accepted into the 2006 National Juried Show in Elk River.”

At one of those art shows, Ginny was encouraged to put a price on a family portrait that was not for sale. She reluctantly put what she considered an extremely high price on it so it would not sell. But as you can guess, “Free Spriit” of her granddaughter, Aubrey, running on the beach in Oregon sold. Ginny never put a price tag on any of her family portraits again.

Ginny and Dick eventually settled in Stewartville raising their 3 daughters. Dick’s success as a commercial artist led to Ginny and Dick opening an art and engineering supply store in Rochester. All the while, Ginny continued to hone her skills as a portrait artist.

During the height of the Cold War in the 1970’s, Ginny and Dick took trips to the Soviet Union to maintain Ginny’s relationship with her cousin, Vladik, his wife, Claudia, and his daughter, Larissa. They would pack an extra suitcase stuffed with American blue jeans as gifts which were extremely popular in the USSR but nearly impossible to get.

As empty nesters they moved to Rochester in 1980 before retiring in 1995 to their lake home on Twin Lakes near Aurora. Following Dick’s death on Apr 5, 2008, Ginny began wintering in Rochester eventually selling her lake home and living in Rochester full time. In her final years at Samaritan Bethany, Ginny had her own studio set up at the end of her hallway with a large window for natural light. Ginny ended her painting career on July 12, 2024 by passing all of her art supplies on to her great grandson, Micah, just 2 weeks before her death on July 25, 2024.

One of the oddities of living 91 years is that most of your close friends and siblings have gone before you. Some of those special people that preceded Ginny include her husband: Dick, parents: Noel and Leda, stepparents: Frank Cammarata and Emma Iverson, siblings: Alan, Nils, and Diane, nephew: Phillip Iverson, and dear friends: Lorry and Jim Patterson.

Nevertheless, Ginny has left behind a large family who miss her presence. There are her 3 daughters: Vicki Monson, Jody Erath, and Teresa Chmelik. There are her 3 son-in-laws: Mike Monson, Brad Erath, and Mike Chmelik. There are her 7 grandchildren: Sherri Steinhoff, Andy Gronseth, Aubrey Ferland, Patrick Monson, Joey Chmelik, Anna Anderson, and Cecelia Chmelik. There are her 9 great grandchildren: Hannah, Cameron, Christian, Micah, Isaiah, Caden, Jaxon, Layla, and Corbin. There is her 1 great great grandchild: Silas. And there is her brother Noel Iverson, Jr. and sister Lisa Cammarata.

Ginny brought grace, beauty, and love into this world with her art and wit. We commend Ginny to the maker of the universe, our author of grace, beauty, and love. As Ginny would say, “So be it.”

A private memorial service will be held at a later date.