Katherine Anne Cotton (nee Noble), 84, of Vancouver, passed away peacefully on June 16, 2024, after a full and vibrant life.
Katherine was born on May 31, 1940, to Kenneth Frederik Noble and Jessie Elizabeth MacPhail in Strait Settlements, Singapore. As the daughter of a Canadian Trades Commissioner, Katherine lived in Hong Kong, Bombay (Mumbai), Australia, Cape Town, and Johannesburg before returning to Canada to attend the University of British Columbia.
As a young woman, Katherine was a competitive swimmer for South Africa and spent many hours with her beloved animals wherever she lived. No animal was too big or small for Katherine to take in and care for.
Katherine Noble became an elementary school teacher at David Lloyd George where she met Spencer Cotton. They married in 1964, had three children, and became parent guardians to David Littlewood in 1983. She took a long hiatus to raise her family. When she returned to teaching, she spent many happy years at Charles Dickens Annex. Upon retiring in 2005, Katherine filled her time with more service to others.
Katherine served in many capacities at St. Faith’s Anglican Church over her decades of attendance. From running Christmas pageants with a real miniature horse to creating Christmas Comfort Packages for Missions to Seafarers. Katherine excelled at making others feel welcome and quietly served her community. She was awarded the Order of the Diocese of New Westminster for her service over the years.
She is predeceased by her parents and her elder brother Kenneth Noble and his daughter Janice McAuley (Madeleine, Bruce, David). She is survived by her husband Spencer; sons Spencer (Chantal, Carter, Blake, Rhett) and Newell (Keeley, Nate, Gemma); adopted son, David Littlewood (Rachel, Matthew, Ryan); and daughter Graeme, as well as her younger brother Bruce Noble (Susan, Graham, Michael, Geoffrey, Jennifer).
Service to be held on July 23rd at St. Faith’s Anglican Church, Vancouver. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, an organization Katherine felt strongly about, or to a charity that serves to create spaces in perpetuity for wildlife.