Lucy Marion Galligher Cotten, 92, of Huntsville, died peacefully at home Thursday, June 4th from congestive heart failure. She was born in Holly Springs, Mississippi but grew up in Tupelo and Jackson, Mississippi. Lucy graduated from Mississippi College for Women (MSCW – now Mississippi University for Women) with a BS in Elementary Education in 1955. She married the love of her life, John Harvey Cotten, Sr in 1956 at St. Andrews Cathedral in Jackson, MS and then moved to Huntsville, Alabama that year as John began his career in Finance at Redstone Arsenal. Moving to a new city where they knew no one, being a cradle Episcopalian, Lucy found a home at the Church of Nativity and became involved in many church activities including teaching Sunday School, ECW, and serving on the Vestry. She was involved with the Diocese of Alabama where she served on numerous committees including her work with the Recovery and Addiction ministry.
At heart, Lucy was a teacher. Her career centered on education in many forms. She began teaching at Joe Bradley, then took time away to raise her children before returning to the classroom at Rolling Hills Elementary and later Blossomwood Elementary, where she retired in 1988. Beyond teaching children, she shared her love of sewing by first teaching classes at Hancock Fabrics and later traveled the country with Martha Pullen’s Sewing School. Sewing was her passion and a way to express her creativity and artistic flair. In 1989, she founded A Mother’s Creation, a monogramming business that brought joy to Lucy and to the many people she served. Through A Mother’s Creation, she provided altar linens for Episcopal churches throughout the country, a ministry in which she took great pride.
She is survived by her children, John Harvey Cotten, Jr. (Pam) of Huntsville, Sarah Cotten Reed (Peter) of Birmingham, AL, and Marion Cotten Laszar (John) of Savoy, IL; her grandchildren, John Harvey Cotten, III (Kalee) of Indianapolis, IN, Andrew Peabody Cotten (Claire) of Birmingham, AL, and Luke Cotten Sartain of Birmingham; and her great-grandchildren, Laurel Rebecca Cotten and Ella Margaret Cotten of Birmingham, AL.
The memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Friday, June 12, at the Church of the Nativity. A reception will follow in the Parish Hall.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Church of the Nativity and Sawyerville (https://www.sawyerville.org/giving.html), a ministry of the Diocese of Alabama.
