Cotton

BRYAN—Johnny Ray Cotton, 78, passed away peacefully Saturday morning, April 28 at his home in Bryan with his family by his side.

Funeral service will be held at 1:30 p.m. Thursday, May 3 at Zion Church of Kurten. Interment will follow at New Church Cemetery in Edge.

Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday at Memorial Funeral Chapel in Bryan.

Johnny was born March 14, 1940, in Rockdale, the son of Robert Franklin and Bertie Helen (Chaddock) Cotton.

He joined the U.S. Army at the age of 16 with his parent’s permission and began his basic training at Fort Bliss.

He married his junior high school sweetheart, Sandra Sue Edgar, who herself was 15 years old, on Dec. 28, 1956, in Houston soon after he completed basic training.

Putting their honeymoon on hold, he left to attend signal school for the Army and specialized in communications. He later served several tours of duty in France, Korea and twice in Vietnam. Johnny received a commendation and metal for his conduct and service; and in 1978 he retired from the Army while the family lived in Copperas Cove.

Johnny and Sue moved to Bryan in 1979. He began working at Texas A&M University in the maintenance department, where he worked from 1981 until his retirement in 2000.

He lost the love of his life when Sandra passed away in November of 1996; they were married for 40 years.

Johnny enjoyed doing home improvement projects, carpentry, gardening and just to be with his family and friends. He was a member of V.F.W. Post 4692.

Johnny was preceded in death by his parents; loving wife, Sandra Cotton; brother, Bobby Calhoun Cotton; and grandson, Chase Cotton.

He is survived by his children, Teresa Peters and husband David, Cory Cotton and wife Betty, Helen Parish and husband Richard; sisters and brother-in-law, Mary Zinn, and FloAnn and Raymond Wooten; brother and sister-in-law, Charles and Ruth Cotton; grandchildren, Rachelle Peters-Wade, Brian Peters, Katie Peters, Cassandra Cotton, Jase Cotton, Jason Parish and Jessica Parish; great-grandchildren, Carson Rue Wade, Rylee Makenna Schulz and Paisley Rhae Walulik.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Hospice Brazos Valley, 502 W 26th St., Bryan, TX 77803 or National Breast Cancer Foundation, in memory of Johnny and Sue Cotton, www.my.nbfc.org.au/agiftinmomory