Gerald “Jerry” Cotter
Gerald “Jerry” Cotter
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He was born on November 6, 1944 in Newark, NJ. He spent his childhood in Irvington, NJ before moving to Roselle Park, and later Alexandria Township in 1999.
He was the son of the late Gerald and Edna Weaver Cotter.
He was the beloved husband to Kathleen McSweeney Cotter, celebrating 38 years of marriage.
Jerry currently owned and operated 'G. Cotter Enterprises' a specialty machine shop in Springfield, NJ.
Jerry loved aviation. He started with radio controlled planes and got his pilot license in 2004. He enjoyed his time at Sky Manor Airport with all his best buddies.
Jerry can be described as a man who loved adrenaline. In addition to flying, he enjoyed scuba diving, skiing and kayaking. He also loved building things and was known as 'MacGyver' to all his friends.
Survivors in addition to his loving wife include three daughters; Sandy Lidbury and her husband Craig of McHenry, IL, Dawn Cotter and husband Mike Janner of South Bound Brook, NJ and Samantha Tasiopoulos and her husband Chris of Stewartsville, NJ. Two step-daughters; Terri Maloney and her husband Scott of Barnegat, NJ and Cindy Woulfe and her husband Joe of Trumbull, CT. Eleven grandchildren; Heather Lowe, Brandy Fassnacht and her husband Keith, Kayla Maloney, Bryce Lidbury, Connor Maloney, Brody Lidbury, Orion Tasiopoulos, Winston Woulfe, Quintus Tasiopoulos, Phoebe Tasiopoulos and Hudson Woulfe. Four great-grandchildren; Abigail Fassnacht, James Fassnacht, Peyton Moser and Gunner Moser.
Predeceased by one grandson; Jamie Lowe who passed away in 2018.
Arrangements are under the direction of Scarponi-Bright Funeral Home in Lebanon, NJ.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to SAFE in Hunterdon by visiting safeinhunterdon.org
To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Gerald "Jerry" Cotter, please visit our floral store.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
4 Entries
Al Dojer
Yesterday
In loving memory of a wonderful person. We will love you and miss you always. I had the pleasure of working him for 10 years. I say it now as I have told everyone. He was the best guy I ever worked for. May he rest in peace
Anthony Bavaro
Yesterday
Jerry has been our great friend, neighbor and business associate for decades. His generosity with his time and sharing his skills and knowledge with my family and the community was unbounded. Rarely, if ever would he say "I don´t have time" Some 20+ years ago as our next door neighbors, Jerry and Kathy babysat our 3 kids for a weekend. He set up tents in his family room (it wasn´t quite finished yet so he said "Why not?) They made a bon fire and roasted marsh mallows in the fire place. The kids are in their 30´s now and still laugh about it. Before the first plane project when he built an airplane in the basement (just sooo Jerry), he built a hot air balloon working model, we attached it to a heavy fishing pole to fly it. It flew well, but in typical Jerry fashion it was a little big, a little too much of a flame needed to keep the envelope inflated and soon became a little too unruly so he reluctantly grounded it. One afternoon sitting in our backyard (before there were drones) enjoying a cool drink by the pool on a sunny summer day, a model blimp about six feet long came drifting over the trees......Jerry following with a big grin. 4th of July was typically celebrated with the roar of his black powder cannon. It was always an adventure living next to Jerry. To our kids, he has always been "Mr Jerry". Mr Jerry was always there for them. Any school or scout projects or other interests beyond our abilities, Mr Jerry was the solution. Most times he wouldn´t actually do the work for them - instead he´d show them how to operate a tool so they could do it themselves next time, unless it involved molten metal, welding, explosives, firearms or any other of Jerry´s toys. When they first built the house Jerry was building the retaining wall along the driveway. The kids loved hanging out with Jerry so they helped whenever they could, even if it was just getting water or handing a tool. They (we) learned a lot about the man during that arduous project. His determination against a very difficult project, his mentoring mixed in with some skinned knuckles, and final completion showed us all the heart of the man. Everybody that knows Jerry would agree he was just a big kid at heart. Living next door, we helped each other whenever the other had a project. He bought that rusty old Ford backhoe that was a powerhouse, but it loudly groaned and grunted as the boom would wag like a tail when he drove it across the property...the kids would run to watch and laugh. They said it looked and sounded like a dying dinosaur, so it became "The Dinosaur".
Over the years, the constant flow of traffic in his driveway of friends, family and neighbors in need of Jerry help was constant. Jerry wasn´t just our buddy, we all respected him as our "go to" guy. He was tremendous resource for the community. Anything mechanically incorrect or in need of improvement wasn´t acceptable to him. If he didn´t have the right part - he´d make it. Many times he´d need to make the tool to make the part to fix the problem.
Jerry - You will always be in our hearts. You left us too soon. That void will be tough to fill. You did good my friend. We love you and miss you already.
Debra Tesman
September 30, 2025
So sorry and saddened to hear of Jerry's passing. I had the pleasure of working for him for 14 years and meeting alot of his family and friends when they came to the office. He was a wonderful boss and just an all around good guy who was loved by all. My deepest and most sincere condolences to the entire family.
May he rest in eternal peace.
Bill Fitzsimmons
September 30, 2025
Jerry was nice enough to employ me back in 2008. He was a pleasure to work for and just a nice guy. RIP
Bill Fitzsimmons
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