Obituary of Curran D. Cotton

Memorial services will be held 2:30 p.m. Monday, October 29th at the Congregational United Church of Christ in Newton. Family committal service will be held at 1:00 p.m. Monday at the Newton Union Cemetery. Close friends are invited to attend. A time of visitation with the family will be held from 3:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. at the Pence ~ Reese Funeral Home in Newton. Memorials may be designated in Curran's name to the University of Evansville, College of Engineering and may be left at the church or at Pence ~ Reese Funeral Home Curran D. Cotton was born on November 29, 1934 in Evansville, Indiana. He graduated from Bosse High School and Evansville College (University of Evansville) with a Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering. He was a student leader at Evansville College as the President of the Class of 1957, Cadet Wing Commander of the ROTC detachment and an active member in his fraternity, Lambda Chi Alpha. After graduation he worked for Magnavox in Fort Wayne, Indiana, before starting his tour of duty with the United States Air Force in Mississippi. In 1961 he relocated to Newton, Iowa and began his career with Maytag, ultimately retiring in 1998 as the Vice President for Research and Development. Curran married Jane Ann Hermann, also from Evansville, on September 7, 1957. Together they have three children, five grandchildren and one great-grandson. They also have two "daughters" that were exchange students from Germany and Ukraine. His passion in life, after his family, was service to his community, with a strong focus on programs for youth. He was involved with Boy Scouts of America programs for over 30 years, serving on the Mid-Iowa Council Executive Board, and as the Cubmaster and Scoutmaster for Pack and Troop 354, respectively. For this, he was honored with one of Scouting's highest volunteer awards, The Silver Beaver. Likewise, Curran served Newton's YMCA in many leadership roles, such as a member of the board and as chairman of the "second effort" fund drive for the YMCA Community Center and ground breaking ceremony in 1977. Curran was also a leader in the focus group study that led to the Y's Aces Teen Center, filling a need in the community. He also assisted in the fund raising campaign for the Newton High School Center for Performance. He served as a mentor and volunteer in the Newton Community School District's talented and gifted program classes and received the District's 2005 Friend of Education Award for his efforts as one of the coaches for the First Lego League robotics competition. In 2003 he was recognized with the Outstanding Volunteer Award at the Iowa State University First Lego League competition. He also served as a volunteer coach for teams through the Iowa State University Extension Service in Newton. In 2004, Curran was one of five finalists for the annual Des Moines Register's Iowa Star Award that honors an individual who "gives back to the community as much as it takes and works unselfishly to make Central Iowa the best it can be." Curran's service to the community also extended to the United Way, Junior Achievement, Iowa Sculpture Festival in Newton, fundraising for Skiff Hospital Hospice, Newton Millennium Committee Chairperson and as a member of the Newton Rotary Club chapter. He was often cited in his professional life for his for his excellence in engineering. Most notably was his 1996 recognition by receiving the Schneeberger and Design News Quality Engineering Awards for his leadership in Maytag and the appliance industry. While at Maytag he received 18 patents for his innovative laundry product designs. During his career, and in retirement, he served on national boards related to his profession, to include the Appliance Magazine Engineering Editorial Advisory Board, the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) Industrial Advisory Council. He also supported higher education by serving either as a member or chairperson of Iowa State University's Engineering Advisory Council for ten years. For his alma mater, the University of Evansville, he served on the Engineering and Business Advisory Council, the Alumni Association Foundation and the Alumni Representative to the Board of Trustees. In 2006, Curran was presented the University of Evansville Edie Bates Alumni Volunteer Service Award in recognition for his service to his community and the University. As the President of the Class of 1957 he led the fund drive for Class's 50th anniversary gift to fund the atrium and grand lobby in new Ridgeway University Center. The University also conferred upon him the Honorary Doctorate of Engineering Science in 2007, where he also presented the commencement address to the class the graduating class. In his free time, he enjoyed being with family and close friends on the water in his boat. During weekends in the fall, you could always find him with Jane Ann in the stands at Iowa State cheering for the Cyclones, the alma mater of their three children. Curran enjoyed any activity that was outdoors, whether in his backyard on his deck, or with Scouts in the woods all four seasons of the year. After first moving to Newton he played volleyball at the "Y" on a team called the "Ageless 8," and later turned to tennis and golf. Always one for an adventure, Curran and Jane Ann literally traveled the world together experiencing the people and culture of twenty-seven nations and two territories on five of the seven continents. As a member of the Newton Congregational United Church of Christ, Curran served in many roles: moderator, superintendent of the church school, member of the student scholarship committee, Sunday school teacher, youth fellowship advisor, and on the board of Newton's first childcare center board that was housed in the church. Curran lived by the ideal that nothing was impossible, albeit possibly difficult. He instilled in his family and close friends that determination and willpower was a key to success and happiness; through these traits everyone has the ability to live to their true potential. From such a modest start in this world, he was truly a self-made man through education, but had the sense of duty and community obligation to bring others along with him. All who loved him will miss him dearly, but will forever cherish the impact he had, and will continue to have, on their lives. Curran is survived by his wife, Jane Ann; three children: David (Mary Ann) Cotton, Lisa Welke and Steven (Melissa) Cotton; five grandchildren: Katherine and Joshua Cotton, Alex and Rachel Welke, and Griffin Cotton; one great-grandson: Carter Joseph; and their two exchange student "daughters:" Meike Horstmann, Viktoria Prudska, and their families. His parents, Robert and Marie Cotton, and his brother Jerry Cotton, preceded Curran in death.