Patricia Cotton

Patricia Ann (Ruskie) Cotton was born in Jersey City, NJ on Valentine's Day in 1938 to Sophia and Eugene Ruskie. This was appropriate because she was a sweetheart from day one. She died on September 24, 2013 after a long and brave battle with colorectal cancer.

A loving daughter, sister, wife and mother, Pat a leaves behind a loving and diverse group of friends who will miss her sense of humor, kindness, compassion and wisdom. Her kids always joked that a wheelbarrow was required to bring in her birthday cards from the mailbox, as tributes arrived annually from friends old and new all over the country.

Pat loved to tell stories of an adolescence spent helping her family run a lunch counter and soda fountain across the street from Palisades Amusement Park in New Jersey. Her bedroom overlooked the park, and she had fond memories of a girlhood spent listening to the sounds of the roller coaster that drifted in her bedroom window. A true Jersey Girl, she enjoyed shocking people by recounting that among the customers at the store were many famous Mobsters of 1950's New York and New Jersey, and it can be said that she recognized the dubious allure of these men long before the rest of the world discovered Tony Soprano!

On New Years Eve 1962, Pat met Edmond Cotton, Jr. at a party where her then boyfriend was playing saxophone in the band. They were married in 1963 and had two daughters Laura and Suzanne. She was a loving, caring and fun Mom to her daughters and a 'surrogate mom' to many of the admiring young women she worked with throughout the years.

After reconnecting at a family wedding in the 1990's, she established a close bond with the California branch of the Cotton family, and the times spent with them in Las Vegas were some of the happiest of her life. Pat was a member of the Hilliard Garden Club, where she had many wonderful friends whose kindness and generosity during her illness were a great comfort to her and her family.

Pat loved her cats, her trips to Las Vegas and her garden, and she was a happy person until the end. She was preceded in death by her parents, her brother Howard and her husband Edmond D Cotton, Jr. She is survived by her adored daughters, Laura (Edward Schiebel) and Suzanne (Joseph Theibert) both of Columbus, her beloved sister Maureen (Geoff) Bartlett of Ridgefield, CT , lifelong friend Lillian Moore, sisters- in- law Kathe Cotton Reusing and Dodie Ruskie, and brother Mark (Mary) Ruskie.

Special thanks to the amazing people of Ohio Health Hospice and the wonderful staff of Sunrise on the Scioto for making her last days as comfortable and peaceful as possible.

A celebration of her life will be held on October 27, at The Clubhouse at Hidden Lake, 1363 Lake Shore Dr., Columubus, Gate House Code 513 or 514. Please wear purple one day soon in her honor. In lieu of flowers please send donations to Ohio Health Hospice/Kobacker House or Best Friends Animal Sanctuary (bestfriends.org). After turning 50, please have a regular colonoscopy, it could save your life!