Today Butch is reading his obituary in the paper and that must mean he's with "the man upstairs." He read every part of the paper and had a system of doing so. He had a system for most everything!

James, "Butch" Cottrell, 81, of Cook passed away at Diamond Willow Assisted Living Facility in Mt. Iron, MN, on January 21, 2022. He actually read the majority of the paper that day and even commented on the Dear Abby column. Butch lived life by his own rules! Even though doctors told him he had only days, maybe hours, to live back in December, he chose to be stubborn and stay with us for another month. It may have been because he had a "captive audience" for the jokes and stories he wanted to share! He loved making people laugh and his delivery made the joke even better. There's no doubt that most who knew him will recall a joke or story that Butch told them.

Butch was born on October 4, 1940, to James and Arlene Cottrell in Mora, MN. He grew up in McGrath, MN and graduated in 1958. He enlisted in the Army and was stationed in Colorado, Germany and Chicago from 1958 until 1961. After the military he returned to Minnesota where he found work as a lineman doing powerline construction, moving to and from several states in the Midwest.

Butch married Cleo (Rude) June 11, 1966. Needing to go where the next powerline construction project happened to be, Butch moved his family to several different towns throughout Minnesota, North Dakota and Illinois. In November of 1968, the family settled in Cook, while he was working for Spalj Construction of Crosby. The company was contracted to build a power line from Cook to Crane Lake. In April of 1969, Jack Whiteside asked him to come to work for Northern Electric Cooperative. They moved to their current home in September of 1969. Butch retired from Lake Country Power in August 2002. He was proud of the many people he helped by turning on their electricity. He often received thank you cards from people who saw him working through the night, many times during terrible storms, to get their lights back on. When a trouble call came in, Butch would always go, no matter the time of day.

Butch enjoyed working in the garden, riding one of his numerous horses and taking saunas. He built his sauna from an old horse barn and was very proud of it! Butch attended the Effie Rodeo for many years. Watching old westerns, especially Gunsmoke and Bonanza, was a favorite pastime and he could recite most of the dialogue on cue.

Butch learned to whitefish from his good friend, Rico Roivanen. Their smoked whitefish was always a big hit for those who ate it! Deer hunting season was a special time of year, as well. He spent many years on Hinsdale Island hunting with family and friends. He also hunted near Ash Lake with relatives and around home with his sons, daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren. After he retired, Butch would frequently attend games and events his grandchildren were involved in. Getting rides behind a 4-wheeler or on a horse are fond memories for all his grandkids.

While feeding the critters that wandered into the yard, he found sport in "weeding out" the ones that were offensive or just looking for a free meal. Despite keeping occupied with all of these daily routines, Butch never turned down an opportunity to help. He would give rides to appointments, a tug out of the ditch or visit a friend or relative. He enjoyed helping anyone he could. He instilled a strong work ethic in his kids and grandkids and always led by example, often outworking his kids in any activity-whether it was throwing bales or cutting wood.

When asked what he thought should be in his obituary, Dad was quiet for a bit. He then asked, "Do you know what's written under my yearbook picture?". We responded, "No, we do not." His reply, "It says 'Anyone want to hear a joke?' You should use that." So that's what we did.

Rest easy and sleep quick, Grandpa Butch. You'll be missed by many but your words will live on and give people a reason to laugh and remember the good times.

Butch is survived by his wife, Cleo Cottrell; son Del (Lisa) Cottrell and their children Doug and Becca; son Jerry (Natalie) Cottrell; daughter Shelly (Mike) Flaten and their children James "Jake" (Abby), Joe, Jen, and Julia; son Dan (Stacy) Cottrell and their children Kayleigh and Clay; his brothers Bob Cottrell of Wheatland, IA; Jack Cottrell of Lost Nation, IA; Dave (Nancy) Cottrell of Sauk Rapids, MN and sister Jan Cottrell of McGrath, MN, several brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends.

He was preceded in death by his first wife, Betty (Roy) Cottrell, parents James and Arlene Cottrell, brother Darel Cottrell, in-laws and other relatives.

Funeral services will be held at 11am Saturday, January 29, 2022, at Mlaker Funeral Home in Cook, MN. Visitation will be 1 hour before the service. A lunch will follow the service at St. Mary's Catholic Church in Cook.