Barbara H. Cotton

On, Sunday, February 18, 2024, a free-spirit named Barbara Henrietta Cotton was captured by the mighty hand of God. Barbara was born on September 15, 1939, in Baltimore, Maryland to the late Geraldine E. Barry and the late John Williams. When Barbara was a little girl, her mother remarried a wonderful man, named George E. Barry Sr., who adopted Barbara; and raised her as his own. She was the second of five siblings and attended St. Francis Catholic Schools. Anyone that knew Barbara would not be surprised to know that she has experienced just about everything in life from A to Z. She even managed to have a little sister born on her 13th birthday. Earlier in life, Barbara worked at Continental Can Company, and ultimately retired from AT&T after 25 years of service and awards. She also loved learning new things. At one time she was a notary public. At another time she went to school to learn how to do floral arrangements. Then at another time she went to school to learn how to do nails. Barbara was a very authentic person, because she lived her life on her own terms, and did not allow anyone to dictate to her what that would look like. She had a fantastic sense of style and design. Along with that comes creativity. This means, every couple of months she was either adding mirrors across the wall, running brick wallpaper up the stairwell, decorating kitchen cabinets, having new flooring installed, or changing around the furniture in her house. It would be an understatement to say that Barbara enjoyed life. She lived her life for good times, and was a lot of fun, until she didn’t get her way. Therefore, she got her way most of her life! One of Barbara’s mottos was, “the main thing is not to get excited”! Everyone that knew her probably have their own funny story to tell about her. We all loved and will miss her feistiness very much. Barbara has joined two of her three children, the late James W. Cotton Jr., and the late Janice Cotton-Smith. She leaves to celebrate her life her youngest child, Phyllis D. Slade; one sister Vicki L. Barry; one son in law Alton F. Slade Jr., one daughter in law Beverly Hyde; one grand-daughter Tia C. Cotton; three grandsons Craig L. Elliott Jr., Dominic G. Pretlow, Barry A. Slade; seven great-grandchildren; two great-great grandchildren; a host of aunts; cousins; extended family.

Tributes

Barbara H. Cotton

September 15, 1939 - February 18, 2024