Arthur Cotton of Framingham, passed from this world on the morning of February 4, 2018, at the age of 93. 

Born on December 26, 1924, in Waltham, MA, Arthur was the son of Frank Cotton and Julia Morley Cotton. He was the second youngest in a family of three boys and seven girls. 
   
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Arthur enlisted in the Navy. Always a practical man, Arthur volunteered to be a Seabee because the pay was $7 more per month. He was assigned to the 81st Naval Construction Battalion. During his service, Arthur participated in the D-Day invasion of Normandy. His boat was one of the first boats to land in France that day, spearheading the assault on Utah Beach. Arthur's service led to him being in Paris the day it was liberated from German control. 

Upon completion of a tour of duty in Europe, Arthur also served in the Pacific. His Pacific tour of duty led to Arthur fighting in the battle of Okinawa. Even after the war, Arthur stayed in Japan for a time. 

For his military service, Arthur was awarded the WWII Victory Medal, two Bronze Star Medals, and a good conduct medal. In 2014, he was awarded the French Legion of Honor award from the French government. 

After returning home to Massachusetts, Arthur went to Boston University where he studied to be an engineer. Shortly after, he met Rosalie Kavanaugh at Hampton Beach, NH. The two were married on September 10, 1949. Arthur went to work at Raytheon where he was an engineer working on the space program. He continued to work for Raytheon for forty years, living in Framingham for most of those years. 

Arthur and Rosalie had three children: Maureen, Douglas, and Andrea. Eventually, Arthur became a grandfather to five grandchildren. He was also the great grandfather to two great grandchildren, with another due in just a few days. 
 
Arthur did not find his second love, golf, until later in life. This pursuit led Arthur and Rosalie to live half the year in Florida, where he played golf every day. So entranced with the game, Arthur took maintenance jobs on golf courses so that he could golf for free. Embracing this perk,  he worked full time until the age of 91. 

 Arthur was also passionate about his grandchildren and great grandchildren, with whom he loved to play games and go for walks. 

Arthur also always had a special kinship with animals, especially dogs. Over his life, Arthur had many canine friends, all of whom loved him dearly.

Traveling around the world and meeting new people was important to Arthur, and he managed to see much of the world. He was one of the first Americans to visit China when it was first opened to travelers in the 1970s. Knowing of Arthur's love of new adventures and new lands provided his family with great comfort as Arthur moved on from this world. 

Relatives & Friends are respectfully invited to attend A Funeral Service in celebration of Arthur's Life in the Mary Catherine Cahpel of Brasco & Sons Memorial, 773 Moody Street, WALTHAM on Tuesday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. Visitation will be held in the Mary Catherine Chapel prior to the service from 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. Parking attendants will be on duty.