George Montrose Cottrell, son of John and Eunice Babcock Cottrell, was born in Allegany County, N. Y., Feb. 23, 1849, and died at the home of his only son, James L. Cottrell, in Los Angeles, Calif., April 30, 1931, where he was spending the winter. He had been in poor health for some time.
He gave his heart to his Savior in early life. He received his education at Alfred University and the Theological Seminary, Alfred, N. Y. He was ordained to the gospel ministry as a Seventh Day Baptist in the state of New York in 1877. His first pastorate was at Dodge Center, Minn., beginning in the year of his ordination.
In his first pastorate there was a young farmer, George W. Hills by name, who is now the pastor of the Seventh Day Baptist Church in Los Angeles, Calif. This pastor and the young farmer at Dodge Center were close friends from the first of their acquaintance, and remained so until death separated them. This acquaintance reached over a period of more than fifty years. and a strange and as appropriate as it appears to be, Pastor Hills had charge of the funeral services of his old pastor, Rev. Mr. Cottrell, in Los Angeles.
Rev. Mr. Cottrell's second pastorate was at West Hallock, Ill. His next was at Nortonville, Kan. From Nortonville he went to Topeka, Kan., where he was secretary of the Railroad Young Mem's Christian Association for a few years. Later he was pastor at Hammon, La.
After his pastorate closed at Hammond, he returned to Topeka, where he was engaged in the real estate business for twenty-nine years. for a few Years he was secretary of the Seventh Day Baptist Lone Sabbath Keepers' Association. For a time he was field secretary for the Seventh Day Baptist Missionary Society. While thus employed by the Missionary Society among our scattered people, he organized the first Seventh Day Baptist Church on the Pacific Coast, at Tustin, Calif. The Tustin Church is now extinct, but the church was practically the mother church of both the Riverside and the Los Angeles churches.
Early in his pastorate at Dodge Center, one Sabbath morning Rev. Mr. Cottrell requested of his church a leave of absence for a few weeks, as it was necessary for him to go back to New York State to attend to a very important matter. The leave of absence was freely granted. On his return he took his church people greatly by surprise, for he brought with him a bride whom they had never seen before.
She was Lilla Viola Pitts, daughter of Dr. James and Viola Green Pitts, of Friendship, N. Y. She was born in Friendship, January 10, 1859. She was married to Rev. George Montrose Cottrell at her home in Friendship October 11, 1880. She died at the home of her son James L. Cottrell, in Los Angeles, Calif., where she had come with her husband to spend the winter. She had been in frail health for some time, though not confined to her bed. One night she retired in good spirits and went quietly to sleep. The next morning she failed to awaken. Thus she passed away April 16, 1931.
Just two weeks later, to a day, on April 30, 1931, Rev. George M. Cottrell passed from this life on earth. Their long term of united lives terminated very nearly on the same date.
Sister Cottrell was graduated in 1879 from the Baxter University of Music at Friendship, N. Y. She wrote stories and articles for children's papers and for the Sabbath Recorder. Rev. Mr. Cottrell gave her great credit for her able assistance in all his pastorates, in Sabbath school work, in her musical helpfulness, and in various other needful ways.
Rev. and Mrs. Cottrell will be greatly missed by a wife circle of relatives and friends in both the East and the West. The funeral services of both were conducted by Pastor George W. Hills, of Los Angeles Calif.
Interment was in Los Angeles, Calif.
"Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord." G.W.H.
