Edward Booth Cottrell

COTTRELL, EDWARD BOOTH, 86, Of Clearwater passed away on Tuesday June 21st, 2011 at Morton Plant Hospital. Mr. Cottrell was born in Lexington, Kentucky on October 31, 1924, the son of Harry Roberts Cottrell and Stella Elizabeth Allender Cottrell. He was preceded in death by his wife of 52 years, Nina Ruth Grove Cottrell. He was also preceded in death by three brothers: Harry Roberts, James Donald and William Bedford, and a sister, Virginia Lee Cottrell Wilson. He is survived by a daughter, Vivian Lee Cottrell DeRussy (Daniel), of South Pasadena, FL, a son, Edward Grove Cottrell, grandson Mark DeRussy, granddaughter, Dana Lanston (Luke), great-grandsons, Ian and Eli.

Mr. Cottrell served in the U.S. Air Force from 1943 to 1946. After World War II ended, he was discharged from the Air Force and completed the Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Mathematics and Mechanics, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI in 1949. At U. of Wisconsin, he was elected to membership in Pi Mu Epsilon, National Honorary Mathematics Fraternity, and was initiated into Sigma Phi Epsilon. He was initiated into the Order of Free and Accepted Masons in Tarpon Springs, FL in 1948.

He taught science at Mirror Lake Junior High, St. Petersburg, FL and at Clearwater Junior High. He was assistant principal at Safety Harbor Elementary/Junior High and then became Director of Research at St. Petersburg Junior College, a position he held for 29 years. When he retired from the college in 1991 he immediately went to work for Nielsen Media Research in Dunedin, FL as a research interviewer, retiring again after 14 years in February, 2006. He earned a Master’s Degree in Educational Administration & Supervision from the University of Florida in 1954. In 1954-55, he served as President of the Pinellas County Classroom Teachers Association. Mr. Cottrell was a Charter member of the Clearwater Evening Lions Club, a member of the Clearwater Downtown Rotary Club, the Pinellas Secondary Administrators’ Association, the Retired SPJC Faculty Club and a 61 year member of the First United Methodist Church of Clearwater..

A special thank you to all the nurses and PCT’s on Witt 4, the Doctors at Turley Center and Dr. Mahesh Amin.Memorial contributions may be made to First United Methodist Church of Clearwater, FL or The Morton Plant Hospital Foundation. Visitation will be from 5-7 pm Wednesday, June 29, 2011 at Moss-Feaster Funeral Home, Largo. A memorial service will be held 2:00 pm, Thursday, June 29, 2011 at First United Methodist Church, 411 Turner St., Clearwater, FL 33756. Please visit mossfeasterlargo.com or call (727)562-2080 for more details.