David Allen Cotter, 72, of Sturgeon Bay, passed away on Dec. 25, 2024, at Door County Medical Center. He was born Oct. 21, 1952, in Chicago to Richard and Patricia (Campbell) Cotter. David lived in Illinois for most of his life before moving to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin. Prior to moving there, Door County, specifically Fish Creek, was always his choice for vacations. When he was younger, over the summers, he helped to run the Silo Bicycle Rental, which was a business that was operated out of the vacation cottage his parents owned, right next to the Peninsula State Park. David loved music, singing and listening-especially the Beatles, and lived the lifestyle of a “Hippie” through the 1970’s. David was either on the beach, in the water or on a boat his entire life. David was a hard-working father and provided for his family as much as he could. David became a grandfather and found un-ending joy in that role. David was a youth leader in the Lutheran church and was once the subject of a sermon where he was recognized as being able to “Find the silver lining in any cloud”. David was a joker, a friend, a mentor and touched many lives when people needed him the most. He cherished his children and especially his grandchildren. He will be sorely missed by many people and will be forever cherished by the people who truly knew the man he was. Survivors include 2 children, David (Kelly) Cotter II of Rockton, IL and Megan (Armando) Maruffo of Hillsboro, WI; 6 grandchildren, Carlos, Alejandro, Elijah, Joshua, Ayden and Emma; his mother Patricia Cotter of Clinton, WI; and sister Beverly Hollis, Sturgeon Bay. He was preceded in death by his father and brother James “Butch” Cotter. A memorial service will be conducted at 2:00 pm on Thursday, Jan. 9, 2025, at the Forbes Funeral Home in Sturgeon Bay. Friends may call at the funeral home on Thursday from 1:00 pm until the time of service.