Levi Ardean ‘Ardean’ Cottington was born Apr. 21, 1922 to Asa Omro and Bertha Hagan Cottington. He died Jan. 19, 2015.
Levi served with the U.S. Navy in World War II at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Seattle as a Hospital Corpsman. From there he was sent to Saipan and then Tinian in the Pacific theater on the USS Meteor where he established field hospitals on the beaches. He returned to Pearl Harbor until the end of the war.
Obituary:
Ardean Cottington, 92, passed away on January 19, 2015 surrounded by his family. He was born on April 21, 1922 in Webster City, Iowa to Bertha (Hagan) and Asa Omro Cottington. Ardean grew up on the family's homesteaded farm and attended school through high school in Stanhope, IA. Growing up on the farm, he developed a love for all of God's creation and throughout his life enjoyed the outdoors. He liked school and was an avid reader starting at an early age and throughout his life. After high school, he briefly attended Capitol City Commercial College. In 1942, Ardean enlisted in the U.S. Navy and first served at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Seattle as a Hospital Corpsman. From there he was sent to Saipan and then Tinian in the Pacific theater on the USS Meteor where he established field hospitals on the beaches. He returned to Pearl Harbor until the end of the war. After returning home, he attended Iowa State Teachers College before becoming the Assistant Plant Manager at a factory in Webster City. All his life Ardean was an avid softball player and coach, sometimes coaching 3 teams at once. While coaching in Stanhope, he met the love of his life, Verda Mae (Becker) Cottington and they were married on November 12, 1949. During their 65 years of marriage they were blessed with two daughters and two sons. Ardean suffered from asthma on the family farm, so he moved his young wife and two little daughters to Phoenix in February, 1954. He initially owned a paint store in Scottsdale, but his dream was to work for the airlines. He joined Bonanza Airlines in 1956 and his training year was spent in El Centro, CA. During his 29 years as an airline ticket counter supervisor at Sky Harbor, Ardean worked for Bonanza, Air West, Hughes Air West, Republic, and then Northwest as each airline was purchased by the next. When Northwest took over, he retired. He then worked as a property manager and later for John Alden Life Insurance. Family and church were the center of Ardean's life. He grew up and was baptized in the Stanhope Church of Christ. When they moved to Phoenix, they were active members of Creighton Methodist Church. In 1973 when they moved to Tempe, they answered the call to organize a new church, St. Matthew United Methodist, and he and Verda Mae hosted many meetings in their home. Ardean was the first Lay Leader there and also the church historian for many years. He was instrumental in planting and caring for the church rose garden for 20 years. Ardean was a faithful Christian whose favorite commandment was "Do unto others and you would have them do unto you." Ardean is survived by his wife, Verda Mae and their four children who live nearby: daughter Jackie Poling and her husband, John; daughter Dee Ann Underwood and her husband, Tom; son Terry Cottington and his wife, Julie; and son Ricki Lee Cottington as well as 9 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. Survivors also include his sisters, Raye Mulholland and Sue Miller of Colorado and numerous nephews and nieces and their children. A Memorial Service will be held on Monday, January 26 at 1:00PM at St. Matthew United Methodist Church, 2540 W. Baseline Road, Mesa, AZ.
Source: ancestry.com & legacy.com
