Christopher B. Cotton, 51, took his final bow in the circus of life on May 16th after a courageously long battle with lung cancer. Chris entered this world into his loving mom, the late Nancy Hodges Cotton, arms and under the watchful eye of his father, William (Bill) Cotton, on November 3rd, 1972, in Chicago, Illinois.
Chris, along with his parents and older sister, Jenny Garner, soon relocated to the Bluegrass State and took up residence in Dawson Springs. Chris learned the art of country business when he started his first business as a nightcrawler salesman in the yard of his paternal grandmother Millodean Witherspoon. If you couldn’t find Chris slinging worms or playing a pickup softball game with the Hall Street Gang, he was probably vacationing with his maternal grandparents, Bob and Dorthy Hodges.
Baseball and opportunity brought Chris and his family to Caldwell in his 5th grade year where he terrorized batters with his signature knuckleball all the way through youth inc to high school where he was a vital part of the “91” dream team. After a short stint in college, Chris came home to pursue his greatest adult achievement, being called dad. He was given the gift of children when he welcomed Ryan, Reece, and Raegan Cotton into his life. Soon after Chris met his best friend and co-conspirator Angela (Ward) Cotton and together they added Aaron and Barrett Cotton to the line-up, along with a pick-up bonus child Chandra (Ethan) Escue. Later in life he was so fittingly named Grumpy when his grandson, John Ryder Escue, joined the family.
Chris was a man of many jobs, allowing him to make lifelong friends along the way. He was also a farrier for over 25 years and received the honor of shoeing multiple Tennessee Walking Horse world champions. He was loved, he was respected, and he will be missed by many.
Visitation will be held on Saturday, May 18th from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm at Lewistown Christian Church. In true Chris fashion, food and fellowship will be offered in the fellowship hall for all.
Goodman Funeral Home is honored to be serving the Cotton family.
