- Date Of Death: February 15, 2015
- State: New Mexico
Maria Leonia Cotten of Clovis, 75, died February 15, 2015, at Clovis Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center from complications of Machado-Joseph’s disease.
Maria was born June 20, 1939, in Lajes, Flores, Azores, the first of 13 children of Maria and Luis Medeiros.
She married Huey Pierce Cotten, a U.S. Air Force cook, on April 5, 1967, in Lajes, accompanying him to the U.S. at the end of his first tour eight months later. Two children were born of the union; Malinda Maria, born in Natchitoches, Louisiana, in 1970, and Huey Pierce Jr., born in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1972. She gained U.S. citizenship in 1974 before returning to the Azores for two more years on her husband’s second tour there from 1975 to 1977. During this time, her parents and siblings immigrated to the U.S. on her sponsorship, for which they have expressed their eternal gratitude.
The couple settled in Clovis, New Mexico, after Huey’s last tour ended in 1977. Maria’s employment consisted of housekeeping and custodial positions at Cannon Air Force Base, licensed home child care and 17 years as a contractor cleaning base housing units with Huey after his retirement from the U.S. Air Force in 1980.
Outside of her work, Maria loved everything outdoors. She had a natural green thumb, so she maintained beautiful flower and vegetable gardens at home, kept up with a small back yard farm and loved to fish and camp at nearby lakes with her family.
She did her best to instill her knowledge and practical skills of outdoor life into her children. She also loved music, dancing, barbecues and celebrations with family and friends.
Maria was also a talented crafter. Among her various skills were sewing, knitting and crochet. She spent countless hours creating blankets and other things, most of which she generously gave away to family members and friends.
Above all else, Maria valued her family. She was a helping hand when she was needed, always there to listen, ever encouraging and seeing the best in everyone. Her heart was always in the right place. Her humor and sweet nature, lessons taught, will be always remembered.
She is survived by her husband, Huey Cotten; daughter Malinda Montgomery and son Huey Cotten, Jr. and wife Danielle; granddaughter Kiri de la Vega and husband Mario; grandsons Aaron, Andrew and Ryan Glover; great-grandchildren James and Jessica de la Vega; siblings Maria Castelo and husband Vitor, Celestina Santos and husband Joao, Cecilia Garcia and husband Nelson, Mafalda Denton and husband Marshall, Celina Jones and husband Larry, Tiberio Medeiros and wife Margarida, Helia Gerdes and husband Greg, and Gilbert Medeiros and wife Jenniffer; numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives.
She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers Teodomiro and Jose Arlindo Medeiros and infant sisters Lina and Maria Celestina Medeiros.
