Robert Claude COTTEN, Jr.^[1]

1920 - 2004  (84 years)

• Name	Robert Claude COTTEN
  Suffix	Jr.
  Nickname	Bob or Bobby
  Birth	2 Jul 1920	Baltimore, Baltimore Co, MD   [1]
  Gender	Male
  WWII	c. 1942 - 1945  [2]
  	Following graduation from the University of Richmond, Bob served in the U.S. Navy aboard a submarine destroyer. His ship was among those that took part in the D-Day invasion at Normandy.
  Education	1947	Charlottesville City, VA   [2]
  	In 1947, he earned a law degree from the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
  Death	29 Dec 2004	Martinsburg, Berkeley Co, WV   [3]
  	Bob died on 29 December 2004 at the VA Medical Center in Martinsburg, West Virginia of complications from Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, a disease similar to, but not the same as, Parkinson's disease. He was 84 years old at the time of his death.
  Cremation	2005
  	His remains were cremated, and his ashes were deposited in a stained glass box which has been retained by his widow, Jean.
  MEMS	2 Jul 2005	Falling Waters, Berkeley Co, WV
  	On 2 July 2005, Bob's family and friends gathered at "Haventree," the Falling Waters, West Virginia home overlooking the Potomac River that he and Jean had shared, to celebrate his life on what would have been his 85th birthday.
  Person ID	I80	mason
  Last Modified	22 Jul 2026

  
  

  Father	Robert Claude COTTEN, Sr.,   b. 24 Feb 1892, Waverly, Sussex Co, VA d. 5 Mar 1968, Portsmouth City, VA (Age 76 years)
  Mother	Marguerite LeClere FEREBEE,   b. 8 Jul 1898, Portsmouth City, VA d. 8 Feb 1981, Kinston, Lenoir Co, NC (Age 82 years)
  Marriage	8 Sep 1917	Washington, DC   [4]
  	The couple was married later that same day by Rev. F. Paul Langhorne, a Baptist minister, at 5226 Illinois Avenue in Washington, DC.
  Photos » Slide Show		Marguerite & Claude Cotten, spring 1947
  		Bob Cotten & Langley Cotten Gabriel, June 1975
  		Bob Cotten & Langley Cotten Gabriel, late 1990's
  Family ID	F6	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family 1	Ruth Phyllis VAN NESS,   b. 1 Nov 1922, Freeport, Nassau Co, NY d. 31 Aug 2012 (Age 89 years)
  Marriage	3 Jul 1943	Richmond City, VA   [1]
  	The couple was married on 3 July 1943 by the Reverend Doctor Giles Buckner Palmer at a 4:00pm ceremony at St. Stephens Episcopal Church in Richmond, Virginia. Bob was an Ensign in the US Navy and Ruth was a student at Westhampton College in Richmond at the time of their marriage.
  Children	1. Kathryn Vanessa COTTEN   2. Robert Claude COTTEN, III   3. Christopher Virnelson COTTEN,   b. 17 Jul 1955, Washington, DC d. 10 Nov 2009, Prince William Co, VA (Age 54 years)   4. Candice Victoria COTTEN
  Photos » Slide Show		Ruth & Bob Cotten 3 July 1943
  		Robert C. Cotten, Sr., Best Man, 3 July 1943
  		Langley Cotten Gabriel, Matron of Honor, 3 July 1943
  		Wedding Party, 3 July 1943
  Family ID	F12	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	22 Jul 2026

  
  

  Family 2	Jean Elizabeth BRUCE
  Family ID	F15	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	22 Jul 2026

  
  

• Photos		ESN Robert C. Cotten, Jr. 1943
  		Bob Cotten 1920-2004

  
  

• Notes

  Resided: April 1940, Richmond City, VA

  
  

• Sources

  [S1115] Robert Claude Cotten, Jr. - Ruth Phillis VanNess, Virginia certificate of marriage no. 17906 (1943). [S5200] Robert Claude Cotten, Jr. obituary, The Washington Post, (Washington, DC) 1 January 2005. [S5200] Robert Claude Cotten, Jr. obituary, The Washington Post, (Washington, DC) 1 January 2005. p. B5. [S2646] Robert C. Cotten - Marguerite L. Ferebee, DC marriage license & minister's return no. 80425 (1917).