Elbert C. "Ebe" Cotton, Jr. , age 84 and formerly a lifelong resident of Elwood, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 5, 2018 at his home in Fishers surrounded by his family.  He was born August 17, 1933 in Elwood, the son of Elbert C. and Adelia L. (Kennedy) Cotton, Sr.  Ebe owned "Cotton Insurance & Real Estate" in Elwood where he was a licensed insurance and real estate agent from 1965 to 2002.  A 1951 graduate of Wendell L. Willkie High School, he attended Wabash College where his studies were interrupted by the Korean War.  Following his service, he graduated from Ball State University with a Bachelor's degree in teaching.  He married Margaret "Marge" Parr on February 15, 1958, and they shared over 59 years of marriage together.  Ebe joined St. Joseph Catholic Church in Elwood in 1989 and was currently a member of Holy Spirit at Geist Catholic Church in Fishers.  He was a member of the V.F.W., the Elwood Elks Lodge #368, the Knights of Columbus, both the Indianapolis and Anderson Boards of Realtors, and the former Elwood Country Club.

As all who knew him, Ebe loved sports and was an active supporter of youth sports programs in Elwood.  Along with his buddy, Ralph Mengelt, they ran concessions for St. Joseph Catholic School basketball games at the Elwood Armory.  Ebe would don a striped shirt and referee basketball games at Oakland Elementary School.  In the summer, you'd find Ebe chalking the baselines for a Harry Bridges Little League Baseball game, along with being a team sponsor of Cotton Insurance and a coach of Security Bank.  Ebe was instrumental in developing the Youth Tackle Football program and taught the finer points of football strategies to many young men as the coach of the T-Way Packers.  At the beginning of the football season, Ebe would hand out each member of the team the treasured green playbook with "T-Way Packers" stamped in gold-leaf across the front where players were expected to file the plays Ebe would draw up throughout the week in hopes of a victory on Sunday.  In his later years, Ebe enjoyed playing golf with his regular foursomes, and there wasn't an afternoon that didn't go by where you would find Ebe playing bridge with friends at the Elks.  If Ebe called you by a nickname, you knew he liked you, and Ebe had countless stories and jokes to share with anyone who would listen.  Keeping fit and working out was a passion of his for many years, and Ebe was proud to have completed three mini-marathons.  More than anything, he will be remembered as a loving husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who will be missed by all.

Ebe's family legacy includes his wife, Marge Cotton of Fishers; 3 sons, Elbert C. (wife Deb) Cotton of Noblesville, Thomas (wife Akiko) Cotton of Fishers, and Jeffrey Cotton of Fishers; daughter, Holly Kay Cotton (husband Jack Collier) of Fishers; 4 siblings, Patricia Gaither of Anderson, David (wife Nan) Cotton of Elwood, Karen Abernathy of Indianapolis, and Donald (deceased sons Jason and Jay) Cabe of Anderson; 8 grandchildren, Gabriel (wife Kelsey) Cotton, Gretchen (husband Max) Kotterman, Grace (husband Tyler) Hammons, Forrest Cotton, Norah and Silas Cotton, Hannnah and Laura Allaben; 3 great-grandchildren, Juliette and June Cotton, and Kruz Kotterman; and numerous nieces and nephews.  Ebe was preceded in death by his parents; 2 siblings, sister Kay Cotton, brother James (wife Sarah, son Curt and daughter Kelly) Cotton, and 2 daughters-in-law, Geri (DeHoff) Cotton and Rachel (Walker) Cotton.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be conducted at 11:00 am Wednesday, January 10, 2018 at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Elwood with Father Dan Gartland officiating.  Burial will follow in St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery in Elwood, and will include military honors conducted by the U.S. Army and Elwood V.F.W. honor guard. Visitation for family and friends will be held from 4 to 7:30 pm on Tuesday, January 9, 2018 at Copher-Fesler-May Funeral Home in Elwood.  A Rosary Prayer service and Elks memorial service will be held consecutively Tuesday evening starting at 7:00 pm.  Memorial contributions are suggested to the St. Joseph Catholic Church building fund through the funeral home.  Online expressions of condolence may be made at copherfeslermay.com .