William H. (Bill) Cotton

William H. (Bill) Cotton March 12, 1949 - September 27, 2024 Bill Cotton, age 75, of Lakeland, FL, passed away peacefully on September 27, 2024, at The Manor at Carpenter’s Estates. His Celebration of Life will be on Sunday, October 20, 2024, with visitation at 2 PM, and a service following at 3 PM, in the Light of Lights Chapel, at Victory Church. Dr. M. Wayne Blackburn will officiate. Bill was born on March 12, 1949, in Panama City, FL, to the late Howard and Sadie Cotton. He graduated from Oxford High School, in Oxford, AL, and received his bachelor’s degree from Southeastern University, in Lakeland, FL. It was at SEU that Bill was called into ministry, and that he met his wife, Reneé Ray Cotton. They were married on August 14, 1971, in Madison, TN, before returning to Lakeland to begin their lives together. From his early years, Bill was an outstanding athlete who excelled in baseball, basketball, and football. He taught and coached at Bethune Middle School, Lake Wales High School, Kathleen High School, and Crystal Lake Middle School. He played on semi-pro softball teams in his twenties, as well as organized and played in softball tournaments in various locations throughout Georgia and Alabama for the Assemblies of God. His devotion to the sport was evident as he played once with a broken arm, and once during a hurricane. Bill and Reneé were blessed with a daughter, Mandy, a few years after marriage, and then moved to Columbus, MS, where Bill became a youth pastor. A son, Brady, joined their family three years later as they continued in youth ministry throughout Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee. They returned to Lakeland, in 1989, where Bill taught school and coached before taking a position with the Department of Juvenile Justice. He continued to pour life into young people, going above and beyond to reach youth in need. In addition to his athletic abilities, and spending time on a ball field, Bill loved to hunt and fish, and all things Alabama football. He loved to laugh, and to make others laugh. But nothing was as important to him as spending time with his family whom he loved dearly. He spent his days finding ways to show them how much he loved them. He could be seen playing with Barbies and dolls or joining in on tea parties with his “Prissy Britches,” or playing and coaching baseball and basketball with his son, Brady. He loved his wife, Babe, and would do anything for her, even driving across town to put gas in her vehicle so that she didn’t have to do it. He loved to do special things for her, and with her, and she admits that he did spoil her. Bill loved every minute he was able to spend with his grandchildren. They brought him immense joy even in his final days. Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Reneé Cotton, of Lakeland; daughter, Mandy Cotton Brandt, and her husband, Kevin, of Lakeland; son, Brady Cotton, and his wife, Amy, of North Carolina; brother, Doug Cotton, and his wife, Glenda, of Charleston, SC; grandchildren Olivia and Asher Brandt, and Camryn and Aubrey Cotton; along with many cousins, nieces, and nephews. Memorials may be made to PAL – Police Athletic League, by clicking here to donate: https://square.link/u/vUjaMAzI