Sonja "Sonny" Cotton Lightbody

Sonny Lightbody, 84, of Gaithersburg, MD, died peacefully on June 7, 2024, following a brief illness. She was a beloved wife, mother, nana, sister and friend who is missed more than words can say.

Sonny was born to Sherm and Esther Cotton on November 22, 1939, raised in Victor, NY, and graduated from Russell Sage College. She moved to the Washington, DC area where she married Jack Lightbody and raised their family together. Sonny spent most of her career working for the federal government until her retirement as an administrative officer at NIST in 1999. She especially valued the lifelong friendships and camaraderie she shared with classmates, colleagues, neighbors, church friends and acquaintances she met throughout her life.

Sonny was a life-long sports enthusiast. Her favorite past-time was watching the Orioles, Caps, college basketball and every sport played by her children and grandchildren. She took her role as coach, cheerleader and second-guessing referees seriously! Her competitive nature also made her a shark at cards, games and puzzles.

Another passion of Sonny's was women's rights; she was energized by supporting socially liberal policies. Her radio was always tuned to NPR unless she was cheering on one of her teams. She generously and vocally supported a variety of charities and political candidates whose beliefs aligned with her values.

Sonny's happiest times were spent surrounded by family and friends - especially at the Cottonpatch on Canandaigua Lake. She also treasured staying in touch with her friends over the years and always loved catching up in person, over the phone or via texts. She leaves her family and friends with cherished memories of her kindness, generosity, sense of humor and burnt cookies.

Sonny is survived by her loving husband of 61 years, John "Jack" Lightbody, three children Leslie Lightbody, Ken (Beth) Lightbody, Julie (Shawn) Downey and five grandchildren Sawyer Downey, Joey Lightbody, Max Downey, Tyler Downey and Alena Lightbody. She is also survived by her sister Kay Cotton, brother and sister-in-law Bruce and Barbara Lightbody, along with many cousins and dear friends.

If you choose to honor Sonny with a contribution, charities funding breast cancer research such as the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (https://give.bcrf.org) or women's rights were near to her heart. She also cherished the community at St. Paul United Methodist Church in Laytonsville, Maryland.