James Cotting Obituary

I'll remember you

Marge, Brenda, Steven, Jim and your families. Again, the Doyle's are greatly saddened at the passing of Jim. He was a very unique and remarkable man. When we think about Jim we think of so many of his accomplishments. We know you will miss him as we will, but he left so many good thoughts and memories for us. We offer our prayers for Jim and your entire family.

I am so sorry to hear about Jim´s
Passing .. I remember him so fondly of our trip to the British Open . I often tell people of your story with the fancy Sommelier
Tasting wine and then as a joke they put the wine glass to their ear which others imitated ... I laughed and laughed ... you and jim were by far my favorite clients
Thinking of you and your children !
Sandee Hoesley

May God continue to bless you and your family in this time of sorrow. Please except my condolences.

Eulogy:

My father's life was instructive and uplifting. As he aged, and especially during his retirement years, he taught us how to live with dignity, humor and honor. He was always positive and a genuinely optimistic man and that optimism guided our family and made each of us believe that anything was possible. He never revealed or expressed any concern for his health or his circumstances. Whenever I asked him how he was doing or whether he needed anything, he would say “I’m fine”, and immediately change the topic. He was always steady and firm in spite of the significant changes he was experiencing.

My father was always busy, but never too busy to share his love and support. He taught us that the only thing that matters in life is personal character and integrity. He told us to stay grounded and committed.
As teenagers, we tested his patience. But he always responded with unconditional love. He taught us what it means to be a father. He was firm in his principles and supportive as my brother, sister and I began to seek our own ways. He encouraged us, but never steered.

He joined International Harvester in 1979 and moved our family from New Jersey to Barrington. He immersed himself in the enormous challenge of managing a troubled enterprise in difficult economic times. He would leave the house every day at 5:30 AM sometimes six or seven days a week and return late at night. I remember often driving him in the morning to the train station and he would just sit in silence preoccupied with the day ahead of him. He was totally committed to serving the Company and to ensuring its survival. Through this, he showed us how adversity can strengthen and how to embrace it as a chance for opportunity.

Like many of his generation, he grew-up with nothing, and he was absolutely determined to provide for his family and everyone around him as evidenced by the great care he provided his niece who was very sick with cancer. He valued education more than anything else. He was the valedictorian of his high school class, and he graduated Ohio State University Phi Beta Kappa and as an Officer in the United States Navy. I once asked him why he didn’t finish his Harvard MBA. He answered in two words: “No money”. But as his son, I was lucky. Because when I graduated high school, not only did I receive a sleeve of golf balls, but I also received a fully funded college education. He paid and provided tuition support for his children and many others.

My father loved to play golf. I didn’t fully appreciate his passion until later in life when I thought we were playing a friendly round, it quickly turned into super competitive $100 Nassau playing from the tips at the Barrington Hills CC. In later years, he enjoyed watching his grandson practice and marveled at his skill.

He had an enormous capacity to give of himself and I was one of the beneficiaries. I was blessed with the greatest father, and I am really going to miss him.

James C. Cotting, Jr.
April 17, 2021

Jim Cotting was the CEO of Navistar when I became Corporate Secretary in 1990. I met with Jim to plan Board of Directors and shareholder meetings. He often told me stories about his family. I heard many stories about Jim, Steven and Brenda. It was obvious how very proud Jim was of his children. And as serious as he was about his work, Jim had a good sense of humor. At one of our meetings, Jim told me about a weekend couples retreat he had attended with Marge. He said the first assignment was for each person to take a notebook and write down the mildly annoying traits of their spouse. Jim said, "I was sitting there thinking about what to write, and I happened to look over at Marge. She was furiously writing. She was already on the third page! " Then he laughed and said, "Of course, if they'd asked me to list my own faults, I would have already filled the notebook and been working on the second one!" Jim was devoted to his family and you have my condolences on your loss.

In loving memory. My heartfelt condolences to the family

I knew Mr. Cotting when I worked for IH at World Headquarters on Michigan Ave. in the communications department. I enjoyed several great conversations with him around the near-bankruptcy, the restructuring of the company's debt, and his views of the 1987 stock market crash and his appointment to the Brady Commission. He was gracious, thoughtful and a steady leader during a very turbulent time in the company's history. I am forever grateful for the opportunity he gave me to hear his unique perspective on many important issues of the day.

I was honored to know Jim during my time as Chairman of the International Dealer Council. I appreciated the knowledge he shared with me as an International Truck Dealer. (Pollard Motor Company)

He was a amazing grandfather and he had a cool career! I'll miss you grandpa!

RIP