Wayne R. Cottingham was born Oct. 19, 1931, in Oak Park Illinois during the depths of the Great Depression. His parents, Edward and Helen Cottingham, had moved to Chicago from Montana in the late 1920s. Due to the depression, searching for work took the young family to Portland Oregon when Wayne was around 4 years old. Several years later, the family moved to the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle Washington where Wayne graduated from Ballard High School in 1949.
Wayne then attended the University of Washington. He majored in mechanical and industrial engineering, as well as being involved in U.S. Navy ROTC. He met his future wife, Marilyn Butterworth, in 1951 in the stands of Husky Stadium during an Oregon State- Washington football game. Football would become a major focus of their fall activities for the rest of their lives.
In June 12, 1954, Wayne graduated from the University of Washington, was commissioned in the US Navy, and got married to his college sweetheart Marilyn. Their honeymoon was the trip across country to his first posting in the Navy, flight school in Pensacola Florida. After a short stay in Hutchison Kansas for advanced flight training, Wayne was stationed at Whidbey Island Naval Air Station and Adak Island at the tip of the Aleutian Islands in Alaska. He was a pilot and squadron leader, flying a P2V Neptune, which was a long range maritime patrol aircraft used for detecting enemy submarines. He also flew an A-3 “Sky Warrior” from the deck of the USS Ticonderoga, one of the largest ever aircraft carrier based planes.
Wayne left active duty 1957, transitioned to the Navy Reserves, and was stationed at Sand Point Naval Air Station in Seattle Washington. He was the last pilot to land at Sand Point before it was converted to Magnuson Park, even after much of the asphalt runways had been removed. His squadron was moved to Whidbey Island Naval Air Station for the next two decades, until he retired from the military in the mid-1970s. He retired with the rank of Commander.
In his civilian life, starting in 1957, he worked as a manufacturers’ representative for industrial heating and cooling systems, mostly for large industrial complexes, like Hanford Nuclear facilities, pulp and paper mills, oil and gas refineries, seafood processors, and dams around the Northwest. Wayne retired in 2000.
Wayne led an active social life. He was a member of Rotary International for more than 50 years, serving as president of the Shoreline Rotary, a member of the Ballard Rotary, and a founder of the Shoreline Breakfast Rotary. Wayne and Marilyn were very active in the Rotary Youth Exchange program, hosting dozens of exchange students in their Shoreline home over the years. He was also instrumental in the intercultural exchange during the Goodwill Games in Seattle, hosting visiting Russian citizens. He also lead Rotary’s efforts to deliver a fire truck to Piura, Peru.
Wayne was a very active outdoorsman, and raised a family that loved to play outside. Most weekends or vacations involved backpacking, camping, skiing, rafting, sailing or boating. One of the most memorable trips was the trip to the 1967 Montreal World’s fair. After the world’s fair, the family drove throughout the East Coast stopping at all the historical spots along the way. The destination was to pick up the brand new 1968 Volkswagen Microbus from the warehouse in Pennsylvania and drive it back home to Seattle.
Wayne is survived by his wife Marilyn and five children — Kaleen, Tracey (Povl Lasbo), Kelly (Renee), Marni Heffron (Mike Heffron), Rani Kettel (Ken Kettel) — and nine grandchildren — Nikolaj, Trey (Sara), Sebastian, Mallory, Margo, Peyton, Hailey, Jackson, and Zachary. Wayne and Marilyn were married 63 years and he died at home surrounded by his loving family.
The family is so appreciative of the hospice care Wayne received. To make a donation in his honor with Providence Hospice of Seattle, go to www.providence.org/hosdonate or mail to Providence Hospice of Seattle, 2811 S. 102nd St., Tukwila, WA, 98168