Steven 'Steve' Wayne Cotter

Steven “Steve” Wayne Cotter, 63 passed from this world to his Heavenly Home on January 9, 2022. Steve was born on October 14, 1958, and was the fourth of five children born to Leon “Red” Cotter and Mary Ellen (Satterlee) Cotter in Oklahoma City, OK. Steve and his family moved to Carnegie, OK., in 1966, where he attended school K-12, graduating in 1976. Steve accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior as a child and was Baptized at the The First Baptist Church in Carnegie.

After high school Steve attended SWOSU in Weatherford, and worked for H&H Auto Salvage then for Dennis Colwell at Colwell’s Car Care in Weatherford, until 2007. It was in Weatherford where Steve met the love of his life, Elba Rodriguez. They were married March 15, 1980, and made their home in Weatherford, until moving to Ft. Cobb, OK in 1983. They were blessed with two boys, Kyle Wayne in 1982 and Brandon Joseph in 1984.

Steve had many natural talents, one being playing by ear - he taught himself to play the guitar and piano, a gift inherited from his beloved mother. As a teenager, his sister remembers during summer his friends would gather on the back porch to listen to Steve play his electric guitars blowing them away with this gift he loved to share. Playing his guitar in the basement of their family home was a nightly ritual. With his speakers turned up, the music permeated and vibrated the wood floors above and his dad yelling every time, “Stevie, turn that down!” His first band was formed with a few friends in high school, and after moving to Weatherford he became more serious with his music and joined and formed a few bands. In the 90s, he played and sang all over Oklahoma, at special events, bars and outside venues with his wife and family proudly watching in the crowd as often as they could.
He grew up in a family of mechanics, and knew everything there was to know, just by being around his dad and brothers. Together they rebuilt cars, hot rods, race cars and did home improvements, etc.… He was a great mechanic and could fix anything that had a motor in it. Just like his dad and brothers, Steve had a passion for racing cars and built a few dragsters that he raced at dragstrips around Oklahoma. He had many followers of his drag racing.
At 50, Steve suffered a traumatic head injury in a motorcycle accident in November of 2007 that would end him and Elba’s life as they knew it. After three months in the hospital, Elba took him home,determined to be his full-time caretaker, and she was until the day of his death. To say Elba is a saint, is just not enough. She kept him so healthy in the worst of times, all while teaching kindergarten at Ft. Cobb. They were blessed with a couple of out-of-the-ordinary caretakers that helped with Steve a few hours a day, while Elba worked. They were sent by God, no doubt. She took him out and about to family events and get-togethers, all with a big smile on her face. If you’d have met Elba anytime, you would never know what she dealt with on a 24/7 basis. There were times Steve would talk as clear as day, and carry on a conversation for a short time with Elba. Those days were a blessing and gave her and his loved ones hope.
Steve’s humor is what the family will remember the most, along with that big smile, and what we missed so much after his accident. He was so entertaining and fun to be around, the life of the party, really just an all-around good guy. There were many times in the last 14 years since his accident he would say something funny - out of the blue and make Elba laugh. She would share with the family via video and we would laugh together, realizing our Steve was still in there, just trapped.

Steve is survived by his wife, Elba, of 41 years of the home; two sons, Kyle of Weatherford, OK, and Brandon of Weatherford, OK; one grandson, Layne of Blanchard, OK, a brother, Rick and wife, Marcia Cotter, of Weatherford OK; a sister, Terri and husband, Greg Trent, of Tuttle OK and six nieces and six nephews.

Preceding Steve in death were his parents, Red and Mary Ellen; an infant brother, David Michael, a brother, Jimmy; niece, Debra and, very recently, his father-in-law, Joe Rodriguez.

Memorial services were held Friday, January 14, 2022, at Fort Cobb Funeral Home Chapel, Fort Cobb, OK. Jarred Pettijohn officiated. Cremation services were under the direction of Fort Cobb Funeral Home.

Messages of condolences may be sent to the family at www.smithfuneralservices.com.