Arthur Maxson Cottrell III

Arthur Maxson Cottrell III died on March 16 at the age of 87, at his home in Westerly, Rhode Island. He was surrounded by his loving family – wife Charlotte, son Max, and daughters Sophie and Lydia.

Art was born on September 15, 1935 in Westerly, son of Violet Tangeman and Arthur Maxson Cottrell, Jr. He lived in town there until age four, when he and his mother, father and older brother Toby moved to nearby Ashaway, RI, where they lived for many years. He attended St. Mark’s School in Southboro, MA, graduated in 1952 at age 16, and then completed a post-graduate year at The Hill School in Pottstown, PA. Art attended Yale University for a year before leaving to join the army in 1954. He served for two years, training in Texas for the medical corps and a posting in Nürnberg, Germany as an x-ray technician.

After completing two years of service, Art was honorably discharged and enrolled at Middlebury College where he majored in Economics and graduated in 1961. While in college, he met and married Susan Drinkwater. After graduation the couple moved to Farmington, CT and Art started a banking career with Hartford National Bank & Trust. Art and Susan had three children, Max, Sophie, and Lydia.

Art and Susan divorced in 1974. Art then met and married Charlotte Karhu and the couple returned to Rhode Island in 1976. Art joined Fleet National Bank in Providence, where he worked through 1987. He subsequently took a position with The Washington Trust Company in his hometown of Westerly, RI, where he served as a Trust Department Officer until his retirement in 1997.

Art was an athlete throughout life. He played six years of football at St. Marks and was a member of the wrestling team. He discovered crew while at St. Marks and rowed for four years. His lifelong love of golf also began around this time. Art loved spending time outdoors with his children, skiing in Vermont - he was an early investor in the Killington resort - and sailing in the waters off Watch Hill, RI.

As a member of the Misquamicut Club in Watch Hill, Art played more than 4,000 rounds, considered by many to be a club record. It’s said that he knew every blade of grass on that beautiful course. He played golf regularly until the age of 82. Art’s golf accolades include twice winning the Club’s Heminway Bowl with his partner and lifelong friend, George Connell.

Art followed his children’s athletic endeavors with dedication and commitment. He was a fixture on the sidelines of his childrens’ high school and college contests in the fall, winter and spring, traveling hours to cheer them on. In 1987, while watching one of Sophie’s races as a member of the Brown University Women’s crew, Art decided to get back into rowing. He purchased a shell and rowed and raced avidly for the next 20 years, competing in the Head of the Charles’ Masters Event.

Art loved and supported the town of Westerly, RI and its surrounding communities as a bank trust officer, a member of its music scene and as an elected official. He was devoted to the Westerly Chorus and sang in its productions for decades. He was elected treasurer of the town of Hopkinton, RI, a role in which he served for several years. Art also actively supported the Westerly Hospital for more than 30 years in various roles including member of the Board of Trustees and Chairman of its first development committee.

Art’s passion for music, specifically classical music and opera, for which he developed a taste relatively early in life, was evident to all who knew him. He was also an avid reader and crossword puzzler. Visitors to the house would often find Art in his favorite chair with a book in hand and The New York Times Sunday Magazine opened to the crossword, which would be complete or nearly so. He favored ink and his style of starting at the top left corner and progressing diagonally to the bottom right was a technique all his own and illustrated his mastery of the medium.

Art had an inner peace, a sense of devotion to people and ideas, a patience and a wit that endeared him to many. Art will be remembered as a devoted father, husband and friend who was happiest spending time with those he loved and admired.

Art was predeceased by his brother Toby in 2002. Art is survived by his wife Charlotte, children Max (and wife Christine), Lydia, and Sophie (and husband Paul Caminiti), and five grandchildren, Angus and Charlie Cottrell, and Theodora, Lila, and Felix Caminiti.

For online condolences, please visit www.buckler-johnston.com