Ronald Woodrow Cotton
Ronald Woodrow Cotton passed away Jan. 30, 2020, in Mexia, at the age of 74. A graveside service will be held at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 1, in the Tehuacana Cemetery with the Rev. Chris Rowe officiating. Brad Ford, Brandon Ford, Bryan Cotton, Mark Rogers, Sara Ybarra, Esteban Ybarra and Jesse Fuentes will serve as pallbearers. Honorary pallbearer will be Leonard Moses.
Visitation with the family will be 2 to 3 p.m. Saturday at Blair-Stubbs Funeral Home.
Ronald was born Feb. 9, 1945, in Mexia, to Woodrow and Mildred Russell Cotton. He attended Tehuacana Elementary School and Mexia High School. He married Joy Walpole in 1962, but later divorced. They were the parents of three children, Tammi Cotton Smith, Keli Cotton Jarosz and Ashlye Cotton Bobbitt.
Ronald was employed at A & P Grocery, while in high school, then for Ferguson Motor Company, prior to he and his wife moving to Waco where he was employed by Montgomery Ward for 10 years and Central Freight Lines for 20 years. After he became interested in country music, he and his wife formed C&M Productions, which required a move from Waco to Nashville, Tenn. Over the years, Ronald was associated with Ascept, BMI, MCA, CBS, Sonia, Polygram, RCA, Mercury Records and many independent record companies. He also worked with many recording artist such as: George Strait, Garth Brooks, Statler Brothers, Barbara and Louise Mandrell, Billy Ray Cyrus, Alabama, Dwight Yoakam, Michael Jackson, Mo Bandy, Joe Stampley, Tonya Tucker, Lara Morgan, Keith Whitley, Johnny and June Carter, Jimmie Dickens, David Frazil and Janie Frickie. Ronald was the manager of Ronna Reeves and Sylvia. He was also neighbors and good friends to Dollie Parton and Eddie Arnold.
Due to health reasons, Ronald left the music industry and returned to Mexia where he completed his working career, of almost 10 years, at the Mexia State School.
He was preceded in death by his grandfather, William W. Cotton; grandparents, Leonard and Georgia Mae Moses; father, Woodrow W. Cotton; mother, Mildred Cotton Monk; grandson, Stormy Smith; and brother, Rodger Dale Cotton.
Ronald is survived by his children, Tammi Smith, Keli Jarosz and Ashlye Bobbitt; grandchildren, Presley, Caleb and Mattie Smith, Cullen and Annie Kennedy, Connor and Emma Bobbitt and Charlotte;
