Robert "Barney" Potratz

Robert Barney Potratz passed away peacefully on March 21. He was born in New York City on March 13, 1946, and was the only child of Barney and Marge Potratz. Soon thereafter the family moved to Los Angeles where his father continued to work for the Immigration and Naturalization Service and his mother was a secretary for the county. Barney graduated from North Hollywood High School where he was a star basketball player. He attended San Jose State University and served in the US Navy during the Vietnam war.

Barney learned the TM technique in 1968 shortly after his return from Vietnam, and became a Teacher of TM in 1971. He was a beloved co-worker at the national headquarters of the TM organization in Los Angeles. At some point during that time, he became known as “Barney” rather than “Bob,” which had been his name when growing up.

In the early 1980s he relinquished his attachment to southern California and moved to Fairfield to join the Maharishi International University community and worked at the University for quite a few years. He then went into business for himself as a woodworker and craftsman.

Barney was a talented and skilled artisan, a lover of words, a poet, songwriter, a player of poker, tennis, and the guitar. He delighted in his cats and peonies, his leather jacket and the motorcycle that used to go with it, the New Yorker, and music from Dylan to Beethoven. He will be missed by his friends near and far who are grateful for his tender heart, fine intellect, and dry sense of humor and who send him love on his new journey.