With heavy hearts we announce the passing of Paul Alfred Cottrell on October 25, 2024.  Paul was born in California on March 28, 1940, to Lloyd Thomas Cottrell and Maria Isabel Cottrell. He graduated from Temple City High School in 1958 then joined the Army in January of 1959 where he trained and became a Military Police Officer.

In 1960 Paul was stationed at Sandia Base NM  and while serving as an MP there, the Army awarded him Sharpshooter status in 1961. Paul was then stationed in Germany where he guarded nuclear weapons on German army bases with NATO Forces. In 1965 Paul entered the Army Criminal Investigation Division performing all types of CID investigations. He was deployed to Vietnam in 1966.  He returned to the US to Ft. Huachuca AZ in 1967 continuing to serve as a CID Agent. During that time he was also a  Deputy Sheriff, Cochise County AZ.  He was deployed to Korea in 1971 for a year. Paul obtained his BS in Criminal Justice at The University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1973, after which he joined an undercover narcotic investigation team at Ft. Carson Colorado. He also taught Criminal Justice classes for El Paso Community College during this time. In 1976 he was stationed at Ft. Buchanan Puerto Rico, where he was the Special Agent in Charge and handled all US Army CID matters for the Caribbean. After 20 years of dedicated service, Paul retired from the  Army as a Chief Warrant Officer 3.

Paul then entered the private sector working as a Private Detective performing investigations and polygraph examinations in Pennsylvania and Texas.  He joined The Army Air Force Exchange Service specializing in OSHA compliance and loss prevention.  He moved to Anchorage Alaska in 1982 where he met and married Susan, the love of his life.  While living in Anchorage he earned his Master of Science in Management at Alaska Pacific University.

In 1989 Paul was the Director of Security for El Paso County Hospital in El Paso TX.  He was an Investigator for the Hudspeth County Attorney's office in TX. He also managed to find time to continue to share his vast knowledge of Criminal Justice by teaching classroom  courses for the University of Phoenix.  Paul ultimately retired in 2001.

Paul spent his retired years traveling the country with his family in his RV and enjoying his hobbies of wood working, leather crafting, scrapbooking, and playing poker. He supported his community by volunteering at the Georgetown police department in the evidence room. He volunteered for Blue Santa and was an active member of the American Legion.

Paul had a wonderful sense of adventure, a love of learning and a true zest to experience what life had to offer and share it with others. Those who had the pleasure of knowing Paul knew he had an irreverent sense of humor which endeared him to many. Collecting hats, badges and pins was an obsession.  He always wore a hat sporting his many pins and his affiliation with the Army.

Paul is survived by his wife Susan Cottrell, his two daughters, five grandchildren, three great grandchildren, and several cousins.

A service will be held at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, November 18th, 2024 at the Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery. Family and friends are invited to attend.

For those unable to attend, please select the link below to access the live stream the family has provided, in partnership with Ramsey Funeral Home: In Loving Memory of Paul A. Cottrell

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Honor Flight Austin in memory of Paul Cottrell. Donations can be made on line at https://honorflightaustin.org/donate/ , or can be mailed to:

Honor Flight Austin, 5600 Burnet Road, Austin TX 78756.