Carl Leo Cotten Jr.'s Obituary
COTTEN JR., CARL LEO known lovingly by his grandchildren as “Pop”, passed away on October 13, 2013, after living courageously with Parkinson’s disease for several years. Carl loved being with his family, taking RV trips with his wife, Barbara, and playing golf and dominoes with friends at Lakewood and Eastern Hills Country Clubs. He served as both a deacon and an elder at Southminster Presbyterian Church in Garland, Texas, where he and Barbara were charter members. Born on March 23, 1927 to Carl L. Cotten and Veda Marshall Cotten in Hiram, Texas, Carl graduated from Wills Point High School in 1944. In 1945 he enlisted in the Army and was sent to Heidelberg, Germany where he was stationed until 1947. Upon returning, he married Barbara Burks Cotten, his beautiful wife of 65 years. After earning a Bachelor’s degree from the University of North Texas, Carl worked as a credit manager at Neiman Marcus, a loan officer in the savings and loan industry and later as a real estate investor. He is survived by his wife, Barbara; daughter, Karen Vandermeer and her husband, Dr. Robert Vandermeer; son, Charles Cotten and his wife, Colleen; son, Larry Cotten and his wife, Melinda. “Pop” was so proud of his grandchildren Jake Vandermeer, Cameron Cotten, Claire Christensen and her husband Kyle, Greg Cotten, Drew Cotten and Katherine Cotten, and especially of his new great-grandson, Knox Christensen. Visitation will be at Restland Funeral Home on Sunday, October 20, 2013 between 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM. The funeral service will be in the Restland Abbey Mausoleum Chapel on Monday, October 21, 2013 at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Southminster Presbyterian Church, 2722 So. First St., Garland, TX 75041 or the Parkinson Voice Project, 646 N. Coit Rd., Richardson, TX 75080.
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