Muriel (Smith) Cotter

Muriel (Smith) Cotter

Muriel (Smith) Cotter, 86, passed peacefully on to her Lord, surrounded by her loving children and granddaughter.

Muriel was born in Princeton, MN and came to Alaska on the steamship “Alaska Star” in 1937 with her parents Alwyn & Vivian Smith, and her two brothers.

Her family following in her grandfather’s foot- steps who came here during the Gold-Rush era. Muriel went to “Central High School” in Anchorage where she met and married her sweetheart Herman Cotter Jr. They quickly had five children.

Muriel & Herm loved the Alaskan life and couldn’t pass up the unique opportunity to buy, along with her Father and brothers, the small town of Cantwell on the Denali Hwy in the early 1960s where they lived, raised their children and worked their business for many years, until Herman’s passing in 1992.

Muriel was an avid hunter and fisherwoman and is listed in Boone & Crockett for a Dall sheep she once tracked for days in the rough terrain of the Wrangell Mountains, and to watch her fly-fish was “poetry in motion.” Muriel was a voracious reader and enjoyed the local library where she could always go to find her next great adventure.Muriel is remembered for her great love for family and graciously shared her Alaskan lifestyle with her family and friends. A legacy that will remain for many generations.

Muriel was preceded in death by her lifelong friend and husband Herman L Cotter, her daughter Terri (Cotter) Eaton and her granddaughter Shawn Berberich.

Muriel is survived by her sister Loann Smith, brother Robert Smith, sister-in-law Donna (Cotter) Grant, daughters Jessi Cotter, Vivian (Cotter)Mayo, Noel Cotter and her son Matthew H Cotter, sons-in-law Scott Mayo & Chris Jordan, her 11 grandchildren, 15 great- grandchildren and many cousins, nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank the many wonderful friends and professionals who cared for her along the way. She will be greatly missed.

There will be a celebration of life, June15, 2019, at the Cotter Homestead.