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In Memoriam |
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In Memory of Born: December 3, 1935 - Died: December 8, 2013
Education was always of utmost importance to Monica. She attended college part-time while raising three children, working full-time, and serving the community. She fulfilled her dream and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from John Jay College's School of Criminal Justice. A devout employee of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for over thirty years, she retired from the Port Authority in December 1994. During her retirement, Monica worked tirelessly with the Retired Public Employees Association and Jonas Bronck Housing to ensure the rights of seniors were protected. In 2009, she received a citation from the New York State Assembly for her service. She was devoted to her church, St. Thomas Evangelical Lutheran Church, until its closure in 2012. More recently, she dedicated her spirit to Fordham Evangelical Lutheran Church and all of its members. She loved working with the youth, sharing her spirit and wisdom, and guiding everyone she encountered. Monica influenced the lives of many-pulling them into her outspread arms of love, motherhood, and friendship. Monica is survived by her brother, Clivefield Elvin Fenton and sisters, Gloria Elaine Bell, Lynette “Bonnie” Opoku (Nicholas) and Dorothy Nash; her children Donna Berry, Deborah Carroll (James), and Denise Cotterell; grandchildren, Julienne, Jennifer, and Thomas Berry, and Danielle and Alicia Carroll; her nieces and nephews, Sharon and Francisco Cuevas, Richard Bell, Zanita Fenton, Isaac and Cynthia Opoku, Maureen and Michael Mattar, Elizabeth, Sharon, and Andrew Nash, and Avis and Elvis Donkor; and grandniece and nephews, Melanie McBride, Theodore Bradley, Donovan and Justin Hamlet, and Mason and AJ McBride; Ashley Swepson, whom she loved as her son; and countless god-children, relatives and friends who will continue to carry on her legacy. Monica raised her family to be strong, giving, and God-fearing adults. We take comfort that she is in the presence in the Lord and those she loved dearly in Heaven and she will hear the Lord say “Well done my child. Well done.”
Interment Information |
On
December 8, 2013, the Bronx lost a true icon in the
community. Monica Hazel Cotterell, born on December 3,
1935 was a mother, community activist, church leader,
and President of Echo Park Houses in the Bronx. She was
the daughter of Anne Desperine McIntosh and Gerald Elvin
Fenton, who pre-deceased her in 2004 and 1972,
respectively. Monica emigrated to the United States from
Port Antonio, Jamaica WI at the age of 13 and attended
Resurrection Church School and Washington Irving High
School in Manhattan. In February 1958, she married the
love of her life, Noel David Cotterell. They were
married happily for thirty-seven years until he departed
this life on October 30, 1995. 