Margot W. Cottrell

Margot White Cottrell, age 89, of Swansea, Mass. died peacefully in her home surrounded by her loved ones. She was the wife of J. Thomas Cottrell, Jr. for 69 years (since 1953). Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, she was the daughter of Margaret Richie and Asher Abbott White, MD, a chief medical officer for the Manhattan Project and was the granddaughter of Dr. S. Marx White, a Minnesota heart specialist and co-founder of the Nicollet Clinic. She lived in Swansea for most of her life. She led a long and active life in the community and was deeply cherished by her large family to whom she devoted endless time, support, and love. She leaves an unforgettable legacy in many facets of life, including community advocacy, activism, philanthropy, the arts, youth mentorship, conservation, and historical preservation. She juggled all of her accomplishments in the community while being a devoted wife, mother, friend, sister, aunt, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She was a ceaseless adventurer who brought wonder, joy, and light to all she met.

She started her arts education in the Foundation Program at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, R.I. in 1953 and then graduated summa cum laude from Southeastern Massachusetts University (now UMass Dartmouth) in 1972 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Education while raising her four children. Studying with professor Margot Neugebauer she completed post graduate studies in jewelry design and construction. She was an accomplished weaver, silversmith and artist. She loved creating her own unique and natural forms of wearable art.

She was an inveterate traveler; she loved sharing her favorite parts of the world with her friends and family and researched the history of every place she went to. She journaled extensively about all her adventures and wrote stories and articles for publication.

As a teacher and church youth group leader she mentored many young people in the greater Fall River community. She co-founded the Fall River Children's Theater Group, writing scripts and original music for their productions, and she ran a children’s summer camp at her home in Swansea. A lover of song, she was a member of a sea chantey group called Dead Hoarse for several years and sang in the South Coast Community Chorale.

Cottrell gave back to her community in several leadership roles of the Junior League of Fall River. She served on many nonprofit boards for various causes, including education, healthcare, animal rescue, the arts, literacy, women’s organizations, and church groups.

Cottrell was President and Art Director for the Marine Museum at Fall River for many years; in 2014, the museum recognized her efforts by dedicating their library to her and her husband Tom. She also served as the initial Director of the Fall River Heritage State Park and, notably, became the first female Park Supervisor in the state of Massachusetts. She was instrumental in organizing Fall River Celebrates America in its early years. For all her engagement in these and other endeavors, she received the Recognition Award-Fall River Chamber of Commerce in 1982 and Fall River Professional and Business Women's Club "Woman of the Year” award.

Her strong interest in ecological issues found her fighting for clean water and air early on in the burgeoning conservation movement. She offered her time and energy to many committees and organizations supporting the environment, conservation, historical preservation, and economic development. An original appointee to the Conservation Commission in the Town of Swansea, Cottrell served as Chairperson or Clerk for 25 years, formulating much of the policy and procedures for the Commission and she co-chaired Operation Clearwater, a first-time waterfront clean up project.

She was the family’s genealogist researching the history of various branches of the family back centuries. She traced her ancestry, with the assistance of her daughter-in-law Valerie, to John Alden of the Mayflower and was a member of the Society of Mayflower Descendants. In her last years she worked with family friend Cynthia Smith to compile detailed histories of the White and Richie families, which she gave to family members as bound books.

Her greatest joys were traveling with her grandchildren, exploring the world she loved so well, playing marathon bridge games and doing several crossword puzzles every day.

She is survived by her husband, Tom; her sons, Benjamin C. Cottrell (Valerie) of Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; Jonathan A. Cottrell (Rebecca) of Tiverton, R.I. and Swansea, Mass.; Christopher White Cottrell of West Tisbury, Mass.; her brother, Asher Abbott White, Jr., MD (Barbara) of Gig Harbor, Wash.; grandchildren, Seth (Paulo), Ross, Graham (Meghan), Noah, Alissa, Garrett, Jenna, Jonna (Kevin), Hunter (Augusta), and Asher; great-grandchildren, Levi, Skyler, Harlow, Adler, and Astrid; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. She was predeceased by her daughter Sara-Louise Cottrell of Swansea, Mass. and her brother Douglas Richie White, Ph.D. of La Jolla, Calif.

Her family and friends will remember her for her kindness, whimsical nature, vibrant spirit, generosity, love, and the values that she instilled in others to make positive contributions to our world. She was our matriarch and a woman ahead of her times.

Margot, true to her style, asked funeral attendees to dress colorfully and with panache, fanciful hats encouraged.

Arrangements are in the care of the Waring-Sullivan Home at Birchcrest, 189 Gardners Neck Road, Swansea, MA, 508-676-1933. Calling hours are from 10:00am - 12:30pm on Sunday, October 30, 2022 with a service to follow at 12:30pm. A brunch in Margot’s honor will follow at The Cove Restaurant, 392 Davol St., Fall River, MA.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the American Cancer Society in Margot’s name would be greatly appreciated to honor her legacy.