Charles P. Potosnyak

Charles “Chuck” Paul Potosnyak, age 70, of Coleridge, Nebraska was welcomed into Heaven on Thursday, April 17, 2025.

The Visitation will be on Friday, April 25, 2025, at Grace Lutheran Church, in Wayne, Nebraska from 5:00-7:00 p.m. with a prayer service at 7:00 p.m. The Visitation will continue on Saturday one hour prior to the funeral services.

Funeral services will be on Saturday, April 26, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. at Grace Lutheran Church in Wayne, Nebraska with the Rev. Michael Buchhorn officiating. The burial will be at the Concord Cemetery in Concord, NE. A luncheon will follow at Grace Lutheran. Arrangements are under the direction of the Wintz Funeral Home in Coleridge.

You may watch a livestream of the Funeral on the Grace Lutheran Church website.

Pallbearers will be Chuck’s son, Chuck Potosnyak; grandson, Ethan Walton; step-son, Daniel Hartnett; nephew, Ryan Scherr; brother-in-law, Calvin Bingham; and sons-in-law, Dave Gewock, Bobby Potter, and Chris Adams. Honorary pallbearers will be his grandchildren.[2] [O3] [O4]

Chuck was born on May 22, 1954, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin to Louis and Ludvina Marie (Fricke) Potosnyak. He grew up in Milwaukee and attended St. James Lutheran School and graduated from Wisconsin Lutheran High School in 1972. Chuck went on to receive his Bachelor’s Degree from Northwestern College in Watertown, Wisconsin, and then attended Wayne State College where he received his Master’s Degree in Education in May of 1983.

Chuck married Cathy Smidt in March of 1982 and together they had seven children – Lindsey, Rachel, Laurel, Chuck, Hannah, Robin, and Holly. Chuck later married Nancy Hartnett on October 31, 2014, and welcomed three step-children, Ellen, Julia, and Daniel.

Chuck was a passionate educator and positively impacted the lives of his students. He was a teacher at Laurel Concord Coleridge Public School from 1983 to 2012. He taught third through sixth grade and the Alternative Education Credit Recovery Program. Chuck made learning fun and memorable. He was known for his “Mr. Monkey” drawings, Greek Mythology lessons, eraser wars, fun and games at recess, and much, much more. He loved the time he spent coaching little league baseball and middle school football. Chuck continued to work in education for Wayne State College from 2014 to 2021, as a Learning Skills Support Specialist for Trio Student Support Services. Chuck was also a friendly face at grocery stores in Laurel, Coleridge, and Wayne. He was probably the highlight of your shopping experience with his quirky comments and fun antics.

Chuck’s faith in God was at the forefront of his life. He celebrated his faith at Grace Lutheran Church in Wayne. He loved teaching the children in Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. His role as Church Elder was a true calling. He served with a heart full of devotion to God and a deep love for his faith and church community.

Sports were more than a pastime for Chuck - they were a lifelong passion that he embraced with joy and enthusiasm. As kids, Chuck and his sister, Renee, would take the train from Milwaukee to Chicago to see the Chicago Cubs play. He was a minority owner of the Green Bay Packers and the Caledonian Braves Football Club in Glasgow, Scotland. He collected sports memorabilia, especially items from all teams Wisconsin, including the Milwaukee Braves/Brewers and the Green Bay Packers. Chuck and his brother-in-law, Calvin, were working through a bucket list – next up was an LSU football game! Chuck and his buddies enjoyed Fantasy Football - his team was the 2024/2025 champion!

Chuck knew Bigfoot was real and hoped to meet him someday. Chuck’s children threw him a wonderful Bigfoot themed party for his 70th birthday in 2024. Chuck enjoyed watching old re-runs of “Columbo” and anything themed supernatural with his cherished pets, Gabby and Weasley by his side. He looked forward to his weekly TV dates with Nancy to watch “All Creatures Great and Small.”

Chuck is survived by his wife, Nancy Hartnett of Coleridge; his children, Lindsey Walton of Randolph, Rachel (Dave) Gewock of Coleridge, Laurel (Bobby) Potter of Wisner, Chuck (Torie) Potosnyak of Omaha, Robin Potosnyak of Colorado Springs, CO, and Holly (Jason) Potosnyak of Lincoln; his step-children, Ellen Hartnett of Bloomington, IL, Julia (Chris) Adams of Sioux City, IA, and Daniel (Erin) Hartnett of Omaha; grandchildren, Kaitlyn Walton, Ethan Walton, Gabe Gewock, Ashlynn Gewock, Jenna Gewock, Colton Sebade, Keaton Sebade, Siddaleah Potter, Alex Potter, Emileah Potter, Abel Potosnyak, and Genevieve Adams; sister, Renee (Ronnie) Scherr of Milwaukee, WI, nephews and niece, Ben Scherr, Ryan Scherr, and Gina Scherr; and grand-nephews Caden and Ryder Scheer. Chuck is also survived by countless friends and students - the lives of whom he greatly impacted.

Chuck was preceded in death by his parents, Louis and Ludvina (Fricke) Potosnyak, and his daughter, Hannah Potosnyak.

Memorials may be directed to the family and will be used to honor Chuck’s memory in a lasting way.