of Jonesboro, AR
December 10, 1954 - March 12, 2010
William ''Bill'' Cottam, 55, owner of State Beauty Supply of Jonesboro and Searcy died Friday, March 12th in Jonesboro. He was born December 10, 1954 in Augusta, GA to Robert and Bettie Cottam. He was a member of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church.
He is survived by his wife, Paula Cottam of the home; a son Robert Wayne Cottam of Jonesboro; two daughters Rachel Lauren Nease and Sarah Catherine Cottam, both of Jonesboro; his father Robert Cottam; and four sisters Caren Cottam, Gayle Maxwell, Amy Reed and Julie Roeder.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Bettie Cottam; paternal grandparents Jerry and Louise Cottam; and maternal grandparents William and Stella Schneider.
Funeral services will be 10:00 am Wednesday at St. Michaels Catholic Church in West Memphis with Father Les officiating. Burial will follow in Crittenden Memorial Park Cemetery.
Visitation will be Tuesday from 5:00-7:00 p.m. at Roller-Citizens Funeral Home in West Memphis. Rosary will be at 7:00 pm.
The family requests that lasting memorials be made to Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church Building Fund, 614 S. Church, Jonesboro, AR 72401.
My thoughts and prayers are with all of you. I truly enjoyed working with Bill, and will miss him. Bill always made me feel welcome in the store and always brightened my day with a hillarious story! Thanks for making my job easier Bill, I will miss you!
Daniel
The Cottam Family and I go way back to the mid 70"s.
Bill was a young man just getting started in filling his Dad's shoes. And fill them he did! From day one of meeting Bill , you could see the bright glow and twinkle that emanated from his eyes . And sense the sincere young man that he truely was.
He will always be in my heart . As his Mother Betty will be.
He was a true friend and helpful guide in this crazy business of "doing hair".
The State Beauty Supply Family will continue on, and with Bill as their Guardian Angel, they will fill his shoes as he filled his Dad's.
Thank you Bill, for letting us in your life, and most of all, thank you Amy, and Paula, and Rob, and Rachel.
I am sorry to hear of the loss of Bill. He touched a lot of lives and will be missed by all.
We are going to miss Bill so much. He was not only our salesman but had become a dear friend to us. We all loved him and are praying for the family.
Ann, Roberta, Rochelle, Judy, Brenda, Ruth Ann, Kacey, Beverly and Donna
Words cannot express the greif and pain in my heart for all of you! It saddens me that I cannot be there to show my support during this time. Please know that you guys are in my heart, my thoughts, and my prayers always, regardless of miles that may distance us. I treasure all of the times I got poked at, made fun of, and harassed about issues, as that was truly Bill's special talents of making everyone feel welcome into his fold. Bill was incredible in so many ways and meant so much to so many. He always will be loved and respected by more people than you will ever know. It is impossible to imagine that he is gone however he will never be forgotten!
With deepest sympathy,
Frankie Blanchard
Dear Family,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this time of sorrow.
We are grieving at the loss of Bill. He was a great man. He
always was there to help in any way you needed him to. I missed him greatly when I retired from New Era. Now
he will be missed even more.
I pray that Our Lord will touch each and
every one of you, and give you the strength and courage to carry on without him in your daily lifes, and also to have the knowledge that Bill is no longer in pain and He is in Heaven
where we will all meet again.
May God comfort your family through Eternity.
Love, Brenda and Don Knoernschild
I'm really sorry for your family's loss. Y'all are in my prayers
We're thinking of you at this difficult time. Deepest sympathy to the Cottam family.
Our deepest sympathy to the Cottam family. May God be with you during your time of mourning. Our heart goes out to you and your family.
Paula and family
Please know that you are all in my thoughts and prayers. You will have some rough times ahead but rest assured that God will see you through. If I can be of any help in any way, please do not hesitate to call me. I am here for you anytime. I love you lots.
The Cottams and all employees at State Beauty Supply.I am so sorry for your lose,you will be in my prayers and thoughs.After 38 years as our supply house you all feel like family.May God give you the strength and comfort only He can.God bless you all.
No one person could ever express what Bill meant to everyone that knew him. The kind smile, the ever present twinkle of just a little mischeif in his eye.
It was my honor to know him. I just pray for the comfort of his family in these days. RIP Bill, we will all miss you.
Dear Paula and children, Amy and sisters and all of your family ,our hearts and prayers are with you during this most difficult time. We are so sorry for your loss. Bill was truly an extraordinary gentleman. Loved and respected by many. We are all so fortunate tobe one of the many whose lives were touched by Bill. He will be sorely missed by all. Heaven is even a better place now that Bill waits for us.
I'm truly sorry for your loss.
The Marburgers pray for the Cottom family. We remember Bill during the Blessed Sacrament years in which Sarah and Katie were buddies and classmates. In later years, Bill and I would work out at the YMCA swimming pool and chat. He will be missed.
Our thoughts and prayers are with all the Cottam family. Bill will be greatly missed by all of us. Barbara Dywer, Sara Elms, Dana Williams and Annette Morrow
Bill Cottam was not only a business associate for the past 25 years but a true friend. One of the true nice guys of our industry Bill was able to keep his pleasant demeanor all the time. Even when something irritated him you he would always mask it with a laugh. I will always cherish our afternoon phone calls discussing business, sports, family, etc. Bill was a great sport and could always laugh at himself. He was an amazing person and I will miss him greatly. The meetings in Tulsa and the show in St. Louis will now have a tremendous void for me. On behalf of my own family we offer our deepest condolances to the entire Cottam family. Rest in peace Bill..........
My thoughts and prayers are with the Cottam family during your time of loss
I have known a lot of people in my life, but I can not think of a nicer person than Bill. He made me feel like I was his brother and not just a friend. I will miss him very much.
We are all so sad that Bill has left us; but we are sad for ourselves and for all of his family because we know he is in heaven and not suffering anymore. We all agreed that we did not know anyone who enjoyed life more than Bill and we were all better for knowing him. He has made each of us laugh and smile and enriched our lives just by being himself. We are thankful that we got to be a part of his "State" family and are keeping all of you in our thoughts and prayers.
Love, Helen and all of the Tupelo girls
We all want you to know that we are praying for all of you. Our family will all miss Bill. God bless you all.
Bill brought a lot of fun and joy to many. He will be greatly missed.
We just want you guys to know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. Bill was such a wonderful man. We have some wonderful memories with him and your family. The soccer trips were some of our best memories. Sarah, you are like a daughter to us and we love you very much. We are here if you need anything. Love you all very much.
My deepest condolences to the entire Cottam family. Bill was such a bright light and will be missed greatly. You will continue to be in my thoughts and prayers in the days ahead.
Thinking of your family during this time. Your family is in our thoughts and prayers.
Bill will be greatyly missed. Always made the best out of any situation.
Paula I haven't seen you in years, but my heart broke when I heard of Bill's passing. I know how much you loved him. It has been along time since the "West Memphis days" but you and your family are in my prayers.
I just want the Cottam familly to know how special Bill was to me and the rest of the girls at Head 2 Toe. He was more than our salesman, he was our friend. We will miss him so much. I know that he is enjoying all of the banana Laffey Taffey and golf that he can possibly stand. We love you all and are praying for you. Christy Cooper
I will miss Bill tremendously! He always had a sunny disposition and was a great pleasure to be around. My thoughts and prayers are with the family during this tragic loss. He was always helpful when I needed advice on my business.
Mary Jo McCown
Paula,our prayers are with you and all the family. Bill was a great person and we will all miss him. You are in our prayers and thoughts.
We want to express our condolences to the Cottam
Family. Our thoughts and prayers are with you at
this time. Bill & Donna Dickens,Cache Beauty Supply.
It was my treat to have known Bill. He was such a genuine person who always had a smile on his face. He had a knack of being able to make others feel special. His Christian spirit showed, and he will be missed. My thoughts and prayers are with you all.
My prayers are with you all. I am going to miss seeing Bill in the shop, he always had a smile on his face and a good joke to tell. He will be missed by many.
Bill was truly a great and honorable man. He was serious when need be, but he had a wonderful sense of humor. It was a pleasure knowing him and working for him and I already miss him......I love his family as my own......after all they are part of my "work" family. My heart is heavy today because I have lost a very dear friend, but I know that Bill is with his mother in heaven and they are having a great reunion! For that I am so thankful. Paula, Rob, Sarah, Rachel, and Josh my thoughts and prayers are with all of you . Mr. Bob, Amy, Gail, Caren, Julie and your families my prayers are with you all as well. State Beauty Supply not be the same for us without Bill, but his presence will always be there.
Amy and Mr. Cottam, Stacy and I want to extend our deepest sympathies to you and your family. You are in our prayers.
You will be greatly missed, every Thursday you had a funny joke or a great story to make me laugh! My thoughts and prayers go out to all the family.
Bill was a true professional and highly regarded by all who worked with him. He always kept true to the belief that the customer is always right and believed in the power of hairdressers and salon owners. He will be sorely missed, but his legacy will live on. From all of us at the Joico company, our heartfelt condolences go out to the entire Cottam family.
We will mess you . The Girl from Shear Creations
Paula and Family, I am so sorry to hear of your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you at this sad time.
Bill always has and always will hold a special place in my heart. The dedication and honesty he has shown to me and my students over the years has been such a blessing. He will be always loved and never forgotten.
We will never forget Bill. He was such a joy at all our sporting events! The soccer trip we all took to Russellville comes to mind. He kept us rolling the entire time. He will be greatly missed. We love ya'll. If you need anything please do not hesitate to call us. Sarah, I consider you another one of my daughters. We love you. We will always be here for you.
The Malugens
You are in our prayers. Amy I am thinking of you and your family. Sincerely, Laura Miller
We'll never forget how you made us smile!
I remember the first time I met Bill at Modern Hair Design Barber School in Memphis. Wow that was 1976. We were both only 21 years old. Time really flies.
Bill was such a tribute to his family and the closeness you all shared.
I will miss Bill coming to the shop. I always said that whatever Bill told you, you never had to question.
I will miss Bill.
My heart and prayers will be with all of you.
God bless.
Keith Todd
The Williams family along with many others have lost a very good friend. We are so glad Bill is no longer suffering. Bill loved God and his family and his friends. We can not express how Thankful we are we got to spend a small portion of our lives with Bill. Our prayers and support go out to all the family members at this time.
Paula and family, you are in my prayers. May God grant you the strength and peace you will need through this trying time.
Bill was one of the nicest and most sincere men ive met in my lifetime. He always had a kind word and he knew what made a business tick as well. He will be greatly missed and I feel so honored to have got to know him.My condolences and prayers to his loving family.
My prayers are with the Cottam family at this time. Bill was "the rock" in his family and my heart goes out to them today. He was a great person and I learned many things from working in his business. He was very professional and cared about his customers. He was a man of his word, and his family was his world. He will be missed by so many but Paula, his wife, Rob, Rachel, Josh, and Sarah, his children and Caren, Gail, Amy and Julie his sisters, and most important his dad Bob will miss him the most. Please know that God will be with through this great loss. He is in heaven with his precious mom. I love you all! F.R.O.G.