John Cottier, age 88, of Dairyville, California, went to be with the Lord on March 28, 2023, surrounded by family. John was preceded in death by his parents, John and Juanita Cottier, and his younger brothers, William and Edward Cottier.

John leaves behind his beloved wife of 66 years, Clarisse, their daughter Lynn, sons John (Linda) and James (Teresa), thirteen grandchildren, and seventeen great-grandchildren.

John was born in Oklahoma in 1934 and grew up in Antioch, California, excelling at football and track in high school and junior college. John was fascinated with airplanes, working for crop dusters as a teen, bumming flights when he could. He eventually obtained his pilot's license and flew his Cessna 172 all over the western states.

He earned his Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from San Jose State College in 1956, married Clarisse, and began work for Douglas Aircraft in Southern California. His career in aerospace took him from Southern California to Rancho Cordova, where he worked on Saturn and Apollo projects, including the modules that went to the moon.

John's career changed in 1973 when he refused to move his family to the city to follow aerospace work, remaking himself as a master mechanic/project engineer. He worked in the mills around Anderson, California, for many years before retiring to full-time walnut farming at the family ranch in Dairyville.

John loved his family and friends and recruited many to fish with him. He was an avid trout fisherman, and nearly always out-fished his sons, nephews, granddaughters, and brother-in law. He delighted in hiking deep into the Feather River canyon to pull trout from quiet places.

John and Clarisse loved to travel, visiting all but six states. John instilled a love of the outdoors in his family with camping and travel vacations. He had a wicked sense of humor, pranking family and co-workers, and telling stories until his last days. He will be sorely missed.

A memorial service will be held at Cone Methodist Church in Dairyville on Saturday, April 15th at 11:00 a.m.