SAMUEL COTTRELL IV

FUNERAL HOME

Murphy Funeral Homes - Arlington

4510 Wilson Boulevard

Arlington, Virginia

SAMUEL COTTRELL Obituary

SAMUEL COTTRELL IV
On November 20, 2015, Sam Cottrell died peacefully at home following a months-long battle with ALS. Beloved husband of Mary Shepherd Cottrell; father of Samuel Cottrell V (Courtney), Andrew Bryce Cottrell, and Brian Cottrell (deceased); grandfather of Sammy Cottrell and Clara Cottrell; brother of Susan C. Ferguson (Jim); cousin of Joan L. Weeks; brother-in-law of Richard Shepherd (Linda Wildman); uncle of Erin Shepherd Crabtree (Carlton); step-brother of Linnea Turner (Michael), Rick and Rob Ahlberg, Donna (Phil) DeMattia; step-son of Richard C. Ahlberg, and many other friends and relatives.Born to Samuel and Elise Cottrell in St. Louis, Missouri, on June 9, 1944. Sam moved with his family from St. Louis, MO, to Hollywood, CA, to Baltimore, MD, and to Little Rock, AR. From there he attended The Hill School in Pottstown, PA and the University of Illinois, Champagne/Urbana. Following graduation, he went on active duty with the Army as a lieutenant, stationed at the Pentagon at their Radford, VA location for two years in Information Technology. During that time, he met Mary Shepherd and they were married in 1968.Following his two years in the service, Sam and Mary relocated to Arlington, VA. Sam worked in the field of information technology for Advanced Computer Techniques, manager of the Arlington location, Honeywell Federal Systems, as a vice president, and Data Network Associates, until retirement.Sam's passion as a teenager was repairing an authentic Willy's Jeep, and rekindled his jeep interest as a grandfather, acquiring two jeeps. He joined the group of other Jeep enthusiasts, CJ2A's, and attended many of their gatherings from Maryland and Pennsylvania to Illinois and the Colorado Rockies, bouncing along the gravel roads, loving every minute.A memorial service will be held at Christ Crossman United Methodist Church, 384 N. Washington St., Falls Church, on Saturday, November 28, 2015 at 11 a.m. Burial will be at Arlington Cemetery at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family prefers donations in Sam's memory made to the ALS Association at www.als.org, designating the gift towards Research.

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Published by The Washington Post on Nov. 27, 2015.

Memories and Condolences
for SAMUEL COTTRELL

7 Entries

December 7, 2015

Dear Mary,
I was so saddened to read in the paper that Sam had passed away. I never had a chance to meet him on occasions when I came to your house to deliver material for the NVMTA directory. Please know my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Amy Rothstein

Kenneth Lin, MD

December 4, 2015

Mary,

I am sorry that I could not attend Sam's funeral. I know that the last couple of years have been difficult, but I believe you can take solace in knowing that he is at peace now. My deepest condolences to you and your family.

November 27, 2015

My sincere condolences to family and friends. May God strengthen you and give you peace as you grieve your loved one (Psalms 29:11).

~K.Rush

Dear Friends

Jack Arnold

November 26, 2015

Dear Mary and Family,
I am deeply saddened to hear of Sam's passing, and wish to extend my most heartfelt sympathy to all of his loved ones. I spoke with Sam by phone less than a month ago and discussed visiting, therefore I was devastated to receive a phone call from Jim Yocum informing me that he had passed. I worked closely with Sam at Radford and Advanced Computer Techniques in Arlington in the late 60's and early 70's. I was privileged to be paired with Sam in the development of a very successful and highly acclaimed automated real time air flight control system for the FAA. I came to respect Sam for his outstanding software development capabilities and professionalism in every aspect of business, and I loved him dearly as a friend. Sam was perhaps the most brilliant of all the computer professionals I worked with or for during my professional career. He also was gifted with a very special sense of humor and could be the prankster at times. I will always remember and can still chuckle when I think of some of the funny anecdotes Sam left on my office desk. I will never forget him, and will cherish forever the times we spent together socially and professionally over the years. Even the times we helped each other move household goods. Mary, I'll always cherish the memories of the Cottrell, Yocum, Selfridge and Arnold socials.
May God bless and comfort you during this difficult time. My thoughts and prayers are with you.
With Fond Remembrances,
Jack Arnold

Jeff Petrowich

November 25, 2015

Sam has been a very good friend of mine for the last several years. As a fellow Willys jeep enthusiast, I enjoyed spending time with Sam and Mary at the Willys Reunion and trail riding together in the Colorado Rockies. I will cherish the time we had together and miss our on going conversations. I am glad to have known him.

Mindy Christy

November 24, 2015

I knew Sam from the Willys Reunions. He was such a fine gentleman and well loved by all who attended the events. We will miss his warmth and smile at the shows. My prayers are with the entire family

Linda Roberts

November 24, 2015

Brian and I worked with Sam for many years. He was a wonderful person and will be missed my many, our prayers are with his family.
Brian and Linda Roberts

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