Clifford Henry Cottingham was born September 30, 1913 in Purcell, McClain Co., Okla. to John James & Florence Della Cahoon Cottingham. November 11, 1939 Clifford married Wilma Lucile Tucker, both being from Greenwood, Sebastian co., Ar. They were divorced December 5, 1946 at Greenwood. February 23, 1946 Clifford married Helen Louise Sprouse Moon in Fort Smith, Sebastian Co., Ar. Both were residing there. (These dates are the ones on the records but obviously a year date on one of them is incorrect.) Clifford enlisted in the US Marine Corps. The only dates I found for his service are on the US Marine Corps Muster records below. Clifford Henry Cattingham passed away May 25, 2000 in Oklahoma and is buried at Floral Haven Memorial Gardens in Broken Arrow, Tulsa County, Oklahoma. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Clifford Henry Cottingham, the eldest of 2 sons born to John James and Florence Della Cottingham. Clifford Henry Cottingham first entered this life on September 30, 1913 in the town of Purcell, OK. His father was a farmer and moved the family a few times during the boy's early childhood, settling finally in the area around Greenwood, AR. Clifford and his brother, Don, helped their dad run the family farm while they attended public school in Sulfur Springs and Greenwood where they both completed the 12th grade. He loved working with his hands and had many woodworking skills. He also loved to read, which he could do so without reading glasses well into his eighties. His woodworking interest landed him a job at Garrisons Furniture Factory in Fort Smith where he worked for several years during the 1930s and early '40s. Clifford was 29 years old by the time WWII was in full swing. He joined the Marine Corps and after a few weeks of boot camp at Camp Pendleton, CA, he was sent directly to the South Pacific Islands where he spent the next 2 years. His age made him the "old man" of his outfit which landed him the job of Platoon Sergeant, not necessarily a good position when your job is invading enemy strongholds. Clifford's platoon went on half a dozen or more landing invasions beginning in the Marianas and ending at Okinawa. He was wounded 2 times and received Purple Hearts for wounds received at Peleliu and Okinawa. Clifford was several months later than the others in getting to return home, since he was recuperating at St. Simons, GA for the Okinawa wound. Once the war hero finally got home, he proposed to Helen Louise Sprouse Moon (and her children) and they were married February 23, 1946. Although he had periods of difficulty with the wounds, he would never apply for help or aid from the government. His response would be "there are a lot of guys that need it more than me". Clifford and Helen were married 54 years, 3 months and 2 days during which time he helped to raise the children and treated them as if they were his own. The family has now grown to include 11 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. Clifford never wavered in his love and commitment to the family he married into and helped to raise. There could not have been a better father, grandfather and great-grandfather to our family. All who knew him will vouch for his strength of character. Up until his recent illness, he had taught a Sunday school class at the Baptist Church for the past several decades. He is also well known as "Cotty" for his many years in the hardware business. We will lay him to rest in the Field of Honor at Floral Haven Cemetery in Tulsa, OK at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 30, 2000. Clifford will be sorely missed by all his family and friends. (Tulsa World)