By Sarah Riley
News-Chronicle
Funeral home owner James Cotter of De Pere passed away Friday. He was 78.
In February 1962, Cotter purchased the former Coffey Funeral Home on Broadway in De Pere. Through his life and with the assistance of his family, he operated three funeral homes in Northeast Wisconsin. Cotter's son Mike, who now operates the family's businesses, said his father was a great contributor to De Pere's business community and to the needs of grieving families. He was always willing to give a hug or hand shake.
"I think dad did a great job with that," Mike Cotter said about his dad's ability to guide families through difficult times. "It's hard to put into words."
The current Cotter Funeral Home on Webster Avenue was built in the late 1960s, and the family acquired the Knutson-Cotter Funeral Home in Denmark in 1988 and shortly afterward purchased a funeral home in Wrightstown.
Although technology has changed Cotter's business since the 1960s, Mike Cotter said his father preferred dealing face-to-face with people instead of e-mail.
Once families did business at one of the Cotter funeral homes, they often continued using the family for their funeral needs.
"That's how funeral homes stay established. You build that because of relationships," Mike Cotter said about his dad's successes.
Calls have been pouring into the funeral home from friends and supporters, Mike Cotter said. James Cotter was a member of De Pere business groups, funeral directorsâ societies, the Knights of Columbus and St. Francis Xavier Church in De Pere.
"De Pere's been wonderful to dad," Mike Cotter said. "A lot of people are calling."
James Cotter is survived by his wife, Elaine, their five children and their grandchildren. A visitation will be held at Cotter Funeral Home, 860 N. Webster Ave., De Pere, from 4-8 p.m. Monday. The visitation will continue 10-11 a.m. Tuesday at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, 220 S. Michigan St., De Pere. Mass of Christian Burial 11 a.m. Tuesday at the church.
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