Aaron Potter had a lot of loves in his life — God, family, friends, church, his work — but, from the time he was a little boy until his death in mid-April, he had been a car “junkie.”

Aaron enjoyed anything and everything to do with cars. He could talk for hours about cars and never tire of it.

“Since he was a little boy, he had liked cars. He had a large collection of matchbox cars, and when he got older he set his sights on owning a car,” said his sister, Lavonia Austin. Aaron bought his first car — a 1958 blue and white Ford — when he was in high school.

Lavonia shared that Aaron during his teenage years grew beans and corn and sold the vegetables to Smithdeal’s, a local grocery store, to get money to buy his first car.

In the 1980s, Aaron and his boyhood friend, Darrell Greer, opened their own used car business — D & A Motors. “It wasn’t a fancy building with lights and streamers. It was a small lot by the side of the highway and they started their business with three cars,” said Lavonia. They still had the used car business when Aaron died April 12.

Aaron was one of those car junkies who enjoyed talking about cars, getting under the hood and tinkering with the car’s workings. Cars were a work of pride for Aaron, who enjoyed his cars for what they did and what they were capable of doing in his hands as a driver.

His favorite cars were Cadillacs and Lincolns.

But, there was more to Aaron than cars. “He was the greatest brother in the world. He was a giving and caring person, and walked in his daddy’s steps all the way. Like his father, Aaron was a dedicated church person and at the time of his death was serving as a deacon at Long Hollow Baptist Church,” said Lavonia.

He usually carried a bag of tootsie roll candy with him, which he shared with the children after church.

His sister described Aaron as a hard worker. For a number of years he worked at Magnavox and on the side did bulldozing. “He had his own bulldozer, and was self-taught as a bulldozer operator. He could do about anything,” Lavonia shared.

He also worked at Nickels Performance Speed Shop for many years.

Aaron grew up in the Long Hollow Community of Valley Forge and never strayed far from it when he became older. He was a 1964 graduate of Hampton High School.

Aaron was known to be a prankster and enjoyed joking with his friends. “He had a knack for making friends,” said Lavonia.

He usually enjoyed breakfast with his car-selling buddies, and often visited others, who were sick or were going through a tough time.

Lavonia shared that Aaron enjoyed going to the Goodwill and thrift stores almost as much as he enjoyed cars. “If it wasn’t on sale, he didn’t buy it,” she said.

“He went to Wal-Mart a lot, usually not to buy anything, but just to see people,” Lavonia said.

“Aaron was a very accommodating person. It was nothing unusual for him to lock the office at the car lot and go the hospital to sit with a sick friend. He once sat 27 straight nights with a friend at the hospital. He was a very compassionate person,” said Lavonia.

Aaron was preceded in death by his wife, Linda McKeehan Potter, and was the father of Dan Potter and Wendy Overman. He had four grandchildren and a step-granddaughter, who were the love of his life.

Aaron Potter had a lot of loves in his life, and each had their priority. But, the automobile had always been a part of his life. There was something about the sound of a great engine and just the sheer beauty and uniqueness of a car that could always turn Aaron Potter’s head.