Francis Cottrell

Francis Marion Cottrell

Francis Cottrell was named after his uncle who was named after Francis Marion, a revolutionary war hero from South Carolina, also known as the Swamp Fox subject of the movie "The Patriot."

November 4, 1943

Francis Marion Cottrell Drowned off Santa Barbara

Francis Cottrell died in a training accident on October 30, 1943 at Santa Barbara. The plane that he was on had to be ditched into the ocean, but the crew was able to parachute out. Francis became entangled in the parachute after landing the water and drowned. He was a son of a Rev. and Mrs. Clark Cottrell. His father was a Methodist minister who was moved from town to town in Washington state (Algona, Randle, Winthrop, Edwall, Tekoa and Walla Walla). The family was in Randall, just south of Mt. St. Helens when Francis was born. His brother Theodore, who was two years older, graduated from Edwall High School in 1937. Another older brother Clark should have been in the class of 1936 also did not graduate from Edwall. The family must have moved again to Tekoa between 1937 and 1939. There is a memorial to Francis at Tekoa.