Wilber Perry Cotten

Wilbur Perry Cotten, age 99, died August 4, 2020, at Medicalodges, Great Bend, Kansas.

He was born April 3, 1921, in Woodston, Kansas, the son of Perry J. and Blanche A. (Dibble) Cotten. Wilbur graduated from Woodston High School in 1938. He was a WWII veteran, serving as a Staff Sergeant in the Army Air Corps from 1942 to 1946.

On June 21, 1947, he married Phoebe Joyce Benedick in Stockton, Kansas. She preceded him in death on January 10, 1977. He then married Marjorie Duncan in 1979 and they later divorced.

A longtime Hoisington resident, Wilbur was a tool pusher in the oil field.

He was a member of the Masonic Lodge, of Osborne, Kansas. Wilbur was a fan of the Chiefs, Royals, and Jayhawks, but especially loved attending his grandchildren’s sporting events.

Survivors include: four children, Janet Dayton and husband Bill of Great Bend, Joe Cotten and wife Ginger of Hoisington, Jeff Cotten and wife Tammy of Susank, and Jodi Snyder of Rosamond, California; nine grandchildren: Patrick Corcoran and wife Trish of Wichita, Aaron Corcoran and wife Jessica of Great Bend, Micah Cotten and wife Tiffany of Godley, Texas, Sarah Simic and husband Milan of Hoisington, Rebekah Ohlde and husband Tim of Salina, Joey Cotten and wife Kara of Hoisington, Dustin Marsh and wife Morgan and Daniel Marsh, all of Wichita, and Braydon Snyder of Rosamond, California; and 13 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife; daughter, Jennifer Marsh; three infant brothers and sisters; and two sisters, Doris Jean Hays and Eloise Miller. Visitation will be Friday 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.

Funeral service will be 1:30 p.m., Saturday, August 8, 2020, at Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, with Rev. Don Fisher presiding. Burial will follow in Hoisington Cemetery, with military honors conducted by McConnell Air Force Base Honor Guard.

Memorials are suggested to Ash Rock Church or Kindred Hospice in care of Nicholson-Ricke Funeral Home, PO Box 146, Hoisington, KS 67544.