The Nevada-Utah Conference family mourns the sudden loss of a faculty member.

Jacquelyn M. Pottinger, 33, taught at Silver State Adventist School for two months and was a member of the Sparks church.

Pottinger, "Jackie," as she was known to family and friends, died unexpectedly in her northwest Reno home. The cause of death is unknown (finally toxicology tests will be released after printing of this article).

Pottinger taught first and second grades and was so involved in the lives of her students and families that one parent, with tears flowing down her cheeks, whispered, “I don’t know how to tell my kids. In the short time they had with her, she won their hearts, and mine.”

Pottinger graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in elementary and early childhood education from Oakwood College in 1995. She went on to complete a Master's degree in elementary education with an emphasis in reading from the University of Iowa.

Pottinger taught in the Adventist school system since entering the “work force.” She believed in Christian education and dedicated her life to it. “Jackie always wanted to be a teacher, but she especially wanted to be a teacher in our Adventist schools,” said her father, Dallas Pottinger.

Pottinger stepped out in faith when she accepted the teaching position at Silver State. She was single, the youngest in a family of 12, and she was diabetic. Even so, she moved thousands of miles away from home to be where she believed God wanted her.

In a conversation she had with a conference office staff member, Pottinger explained, “I know God wants me to be here. Without any job prospects, I turned in my resignation to the principal of my last school, and I said, 'God, lead me where you want me to be.’” A few weeks later, she received a call about the teaching position at Silver State.

Pottinger is survived by her parents, Dallas and Judy Pottinger, four brothers and four sisters.