Harlen Earl "Butch" Cotter Woodbine, Maryland Obituary

Harlen Earl "Butch" Cotter

Harlen Earl “Butch” Cotter passed away on April 10 at the age of 73. Butch was born in Avon, IL in 1948 to Marvis and Howard Cotter. He spoke fondly of his happy childhood with his brothers Mark and Kevin, recounting many memories of camping, fishing and playing sports. Butch went on to play collegiate football and was on the track team at Illinois State University. He often spoke of the friendships he made and the lessons he learned during those years, and he proudly wore his Redbirds sweatshirt to attend the 50th reunion of the 1967 ISU Football Team in 2017. Butch started his teaching and coaching career in his hometown of Flanagan. He also taught and coached in Pontiac, Peotone, and Plano, IL. Although he left coaching in 1982 to start his career as a high school principal at Seneca High School, he was called Coach Cotter throughout his life. His love of sports and dedication to high school athletics positively impacted the lives of many students during the three decades he worked in education. As a high school principal and superintendent, Butch left a lasting impact on the communities where he lived and worked: Seneca, Robinson, and Pontiac, IL. He was a compassionate leader and he challenged the teachers, staff and students to dare to be great. He worked tirelessly to make sure the education, activities and facilities were the best they could be for the students and for the communities he served. He visited the home of every incoming freshman student and he attended as many extracurricular activities as he could to show his support. Those who have heard him speak know that he could move an entire room to laughter or tears, and he always left a powerful message in the hearts of his audience. In 2007 Butch retired from education and started a new career working as a Business Development Officer at Flanagan State Bank. This job gave him an opportunity to continue working with people and the community, which he greatly enjoyed. In 2017 Butch retired and moved to Maryland to be near his daughter Anna and her family. During retirement he was able to spend even more time golfing, his favorite hobby. He always cherished the time he could spend with his brothers and his friends on the golf course. Butch treated everyone he met with kindness and respect. An encounter with him always left people feeling better about themselves and the world. He was a special man to many people, but above all else he was greatly loved by his family and will be deeply missed. Butch and his wife Diane celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary in November. Butch was very proud of their children and offered his time and wisdom to them generously. He loved to talk to and hear stories about his grandchildren, who he nicknamed The Ranch Hands, The Angry Goat and The Professor. The family has great memories of vacations in the Ozarks and in Deep Creek Maryland, where Butch was the master fisherman, the mini-golf champion and the ski-ball king. Butch is survived by his wife Diane Cotter (Damascus, MD); his daughter Anna Egan (Damascus, MD), her husband Sean, and their children Olivia, Abigail, and T.J.; and his daughter Ellen Kosberg (Oslo, Norway), her husband Hallvard, and their children Eva and Philip. He is also survived by his brother Kevin Cotter (Rockford, IL) and Kevin’s wife Jan Cotter, and his sister-in-law Dorene Cotter (Sarasota, FL), wife of Mark Cotter. Butch was preceded in death by his son, Dan Howard Cotter, and his brother, Mark Cotter. The family will hold a private service in Maryland. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Good Shepherd Lutheran, 16420 S. Westland Drive, Gaithersburg, MD, 20877. Condolences can be shared at www.goinghomecares.com. “Say not in grief ‘he is no more’ but in thankfulness that he was.” – Hebrew proverb
April 7, 1948 - April 10, 202104/07/194804/10/2021
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Harlen Earl “Butch” Cotter passed away on April 10 at the age of 73. Butch was born in Avon, IL in 1948 to Marvis and Howard Cotter. He spoke fondly of his happy childhood with his brothers Mark and Kevin, recounting many memories of camping, fishing and playing sports. Butch went on to play collegiate football and was on the track team at Illinois State University. He often spoke of the friendships he made and the lessons he learned during those years, and he proudly wore his Redbirds sweatshirt to attend the 50th reunion of the 1967 ISU Football Team in 2017. Butch started his teaching and coaching career in his hometown of Flanagan. He also taught and coached in Pontiac, Peotone, and Plano, IL. Although he left coaching in 1982 to start his career as a high school principal at Seneca High School, he was called Coach Cotter throughout his life. His love of sports and dedication to high school athletics positively impacted the lives of many students during the three decades he worked in education. As a high school principal and superintendent, Butch left a lasting impact on the communities where he lived and worked: Seneca, Robinson, and Pontiac, IL. He was a compassionate leader and he challenged the teachers, staff and students to dare to be great. He worked tirelessly to make sure the education, activities and facilities were the best they could be for the students and for the communities he served. He visited the home of every incoming freshman student and he attended as many extracurricular activities as he could to show his support. Those who have heard him speak know that he could move an entire room to laughter or tears, and he always left a powerful message in the hearts of his audience. In 2007 Butch retired from education and started a new career working as a Business Development Officer at Flanagan State Bank. This job gave him an opportunity to continue working with people and the community, which he greatly enjoyed. In 2017 Butch retired and moved to Maryland to be near his daughter Anna and her family. During retirement he was able to spend even more time golfing, his favorite hobby. He always cherished the time he could spend with his brothers and his friends on the golf course. Butch treated everyone he met with kindness and respect. An encounter with him always left people feeling better about themselves and the world. He was a special man to many people, but above all else he was greatly loved by his family and will be deeply missed. Butch and his wife Diane celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary in November. Butch was very proud of their children and offered his time and wisdom to them generously. He loved to talk to and hear stories about his grandchildren, who he nicknamed The Ranch Hands, The Angry Goat and The Professor. The family has great memories of vacations in the Ozarks and in Deep Creek Maryland, where Butch was the master fisherman, the mini-golf champion and the ski-ball king. Butch is survived by his wife Diane Cotter (Damascus, MD); his daughter Anna Egan (Damascus, MD), her husband Sean, and their children Olivia, Abigail, and T.J.; and his daughter Ellen Kosberg (Oslo, Norway), her husband Hallvard, and their children Eva and Philip. He is also survived by his brother Kevin Cotter (Rockford, IL) and Kevin’s wife Jan Cotter, and his sister-in-law Dorene Cotter (Sarasota, FL), wife of Mark Cotter. Butch was preceded in death by his son, Dan Howard Cotter, and his brother, Mark Cotter. The family will hold a private service in Maryland. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Good Shepherd Lutheran, 16420 S. Westland Drive, Gaithersburg, MD, 20877. Condolences can be shared at www.goinghomecares.com. “Say not in grief ‘he is no more’ but in thankfulness that he was.” – Hebrew proverb

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