Obituary of Eugene Henry Cottrell

Eugene (Gene) Cottrell, 96, passed away peacefully at home in Elk Grove on March 13, 2017. He's now reunited with his beloved wife of 60 years, Marie, who passed away 15 years earlier. He is survived by his two daughters, Alice Gene and Ann Marie, who will miss him terribly, but are incredibly grateful to him for being a wonderful father to them and husband to Mom for so many years. Gene was a patriot. He joined ROTC while attending South High School in Denver, joined the National Guard, and then the Army Air Corp and served in WWII. He remained in the reserves and reactivated during the Korean conflict. He retired from the Air Force reserves as a Major in 1980. Gene was born in 1920 in Lincoln, Nebraska. His family moved to Denver when he was a child and he married Marie in 1942. Gene and Marie lived in many states in the US until finally settling in Sacramento in 1963 when Gene started working for Kaiser Gypsum. He early retired from Kaiser in 1975 and began working for the California Division of the State Architect in construction specifications. He was active in several professional organizations but was particularly proud to be made a Fellow of the Construction Specifications Institute in 1980. He retired from the DSA in 1984 and went to work as an annuitant for the California Youth Authority soon after. He finally "retired" from the CYA at age 88. Gene was known for his wit and also as a great story-teller. His handyman skills, well-stocked workshops, ability to find great deals at flea markets, yard sales, and the Gerber dump (which he called the "big store"), all combined with his generous and helpful spirit to make him much appreciated by his work colleagues, family, friends and neighbors. He didn't like to brag, but he was really an all-around great guy.