Stratham – James “Jim” W. Cotter, most recently a resident of Stratham, NH, died on February 27, 2019 after a short illness. Jim was born July 29, 1932, in Worcester, Massachusetts to Walter and Eleanor (nee Rivard) Cotter and grew up in one of the city’s many ‘triple-decker’ houses with his parents and two younger brothers, reading books, playing sports, and going to the theater on weekends for double features. After graduating from St. Peter-Marian High School, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy where he would ultimately test and maintain radar dish motors, appreciating views from high atop the masts of the heavy cruiser USS Albany as it patrolled the Mediterranean Sea.
After his service he earned an Electrical Engineering degree from the University of Massachusetts (’59) on the GI Bill. He devoted 35 years of his professional career to General Electric where he would occasionally end up back at sea testing and maintaining ballistic missile guidance systems on the Navy’s submarine fleet. While at GE, he met and married his wife of 57 years, Ann, and started a family, residing for periods of time in the Berkshires, the NH Seacoast and the Connecticut coast.
Jim is survived by his wife, Ann (nee Williams); his son Ron and wife Lori, daughter Jackie and husband Michael, son Chris and wife Emily, grandsons Chris and wife Jordan, Casey, Ben, Will, Julian, granddaughters Ella, Evie and Charlotte. He is predeceased by his two brothers, John and Jeffrey but survived by many nieces and nephews. Jim was a voracious reader since childhood and developed an analytical mind with a quick wit, eventually using his military test scores for MENSA membership.
After retiring, he directed his energy researching subjects such as the 14th Amendment and global climate change, developing opinions that he offered in numerous letters to the editor of the various local newspapers where he lived and proudly evoking the ire of many fellow readers. He similarly found great joy for many years moderating classes for the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at Berkshire Community College on subjects such as history and world events. He enjoyed seemingly disparate things; Rush Limbaugh and the PBS NewsHour, opera and Hank Williams, palatable nourishment and Moxie soda.
Visiting hours will be from 11 am to 1 pm on Tuesday, March 5, 2019 in the Remick & Gendron Funeral Home – Crematory, 811 Lafayette Rd. , Hampton. A Celebration of Life Service will follow the visitation starting at 1 PM in the funeral home.
Burial will be private. He dearly loved the company of the many dogs he and Ann shared over the years. In lieu of flowers, feel free to make donations to the New Hampshire SPCA PO Box 196, Stratham, NH 03885 .
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