James Cotey Obituary

NORWOOD - Funeral services for James W. Cotey, 98, a resident of 34 Spring Street, Norwood, will be held at the Buck Funeral Home in Norwood on Wednesday, June 25, 2025 at 3 p.m. with Rev. Walter Smith presiding. Burial will be held in the Riverside Cemetery, Norwood following the service. Family and friends may call at the Buck Funeral Home in Norwood on Wednesday from 1 p.m. until the time of the service. Mr. Cotey passed away Wednesday, June 18, 2025 at the Canton- Potsdam Hospital with family at his side.
Jim is survived by his five children: Sharon Hicks and Mike Germano, Charles & Ann Cotey, John & Sharon Cotey, Michael Cotey and Cindy Roy, all of Norwood and Melanie & Matt Morgan, Canton; his beloved ten grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren as well as several nieces and nephews. Jim was pre-deceased by his parents, wife Jean, a daughter Lynda Marie, a brother John Cotey and two sisters, Clara Colwell and Helen Cotey.
Born in Potsdam, NY on March 22, 1927 to the late Ord and Hazel Riggs Cotey. Jim graduated from Norwood High School and served with the U.S. Navy from 1945-1946 during WWII. He married Jean A. Dunn on June 11, 1949. Jim was employed by Niagara Mohawk Power Company as a lineman and eventually a supervisor, retiring in 1986 after 36 years. Jim was a member of the What Cheer Lodge 689, the Order of the Eastern Star, the Norwood American Legion, the Scottish Rite Bodies and the Media Temple Shrines. Jim was also an active member of the First Congregational Church in Norwood.
Jim was an accomplished musician who performed locally with his own band for many years. He was also a past member of the Norwood Brass Fireman Band. Jim enjoyed owning and flying his own airplanes, bowling, watching the NY Yankees and the Syracuse Orange Basketball team. He was very mechanically inclined and took pride in working on small projects in his workshop and around the house. In his later years, Jim took an interest in working with stained glass, making several lamps for his children. He has stained glass artwork above the Norwood Masonic Lodge as well as the former Congregational Church in Norwood. Memorial donations in Jim's memory can be made to a charity of one's choice and memories and condolences may be shared online at www.buckfuneralhome.com. The Buck Funeral Home in Norwood is serving the family of James W. Cotey.
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