Karen Dandurant
Foster’s Daily Democrat
ROCHESTER — Beth Wittenberg of Rochester died as the result of a single-vehicle crash in Massachusetts last week, leaving members of the Seacoast arts community, her family, friends and especially her wife, Sheri Potter, stunned and mourning. She was 59.
Wittenberg was on her way to visit family, her mother and brother, on Friday, April 18, according to Potter. The single-vehicle crash was on Interstate 84 near Sturbridge and remains under investigation.
Potter said she and Wittenberg have been married for just shy of 10 years. They were together for three years before they married.
Potter believes they were fated to meet.
“I put out an ad on Craigslist, a personals ad, 13 years ago,” she said. “It asked: ‘Do you believe in magic?'”
Potter said after 45 days the Craigslist ad would have fallen off the listings.
“It was about 35 days in, and Beth decided to look at the ads,” she said. “She went all the way back until she found the right one, mine.”
They were together from the first day they met.
“We had so much fun,” said Potter. “We were each other’s rock, each other’s crutch. She made a huge impact on my life, on my family’s life. She was just a huge personality, generous to a fault. If she could help you, she would.”
The couple were building a future together.
“We just bought a house together in November,” said Potter. “There were so many things we planned to do. We adored each other. I grounded her and she got me out of the ground. I was not adventurous, not until Beth. We traveled all over the country together and everywhere we went; she got a tattoo. She had one when we met and now has more than 60.”
Wittenberg loved the music of Amy Ray, who is famous for her work in the duo Indigo Girls with Emily Saliers. Potter said she started a Facebook group called Amy Ray Ride or Die, connecting with fans across the globe.
“Her music spoke to Beth,” Potter said. “Beth did a daily ‘name that tune’ post on the page. She made so many friends. … I don’t think she realized how many lives she touched.”
Beth Wittenberg was a prolific Seacoast artist
Wittenberg’s art can be seen at the Rochester Museum of Fine Art, at the city’s James W. Foley Memorial Community Center. Currently there are two pieces on display there, and at one time she had a solo show.
Matt Wyatt, one of the founders of the art museum, called her death very sad news. He and the couple were friends.
“Beth was an amazing artist and great friend to us,” Wyatt said. “We collaborated on many exhibits throughout the years. She was so talented, thoughtful and dedicated. She really pushed boundaries with her art and activism. And she was never afraid to try new things, experiment with new materials, change her style completely. But no matter what she did in her art, you could always tell it was her. There was so much passion and storytelling in her work. It’s hard for me not to get sentimental when thinking of her. She was great, gave the best hugs. My heart breaks for Sheri. We’ll miss her.”
Wittenberg won a Spotlight Award from Seacoast Media Group in 2015. The category was Outstanding Artist – Non-Traditional group.
Jeanne McCartin, an arts writer, was heavily involved with the Spotlight Awards and remains connected to the Seacoast arts community.
“Beth was a huge spirit, and an artist in the truest sense of the word, she lived it, breathed it and championed hers and the work of others,” McCartin said. “My heart is broken for Sheri and her family. Beth was a force, and a fierce advocate., The community is a little less rich. It’s truly a loss.”
McCartin talked about the Spotlight Award that went to Wittenberg.
“I was moved by Beth’s work because it was an authentic voice, singular and honest. She was an emotional painter — my favorite kind.” McCartin said Wittenberg was a “hoot. She’s one of those people that took anger and turned it into a passion for good. She definitely had her heart in the right place.”
How to help
Meredith Austin, a friend of the family, started a Gofundme fundraising page in Wittenberg’s honor, seeking to help Potter with expenses.
Wittenberg will be cremated, in what is called a gentle cremation, using water and an alkaline base, not fire, according to the family. Services are not set yet. Potter is waiting for the medical examiner to release Wittenberg’s body.
