W. Vance Cotten Jr.

April 28, 1975 - May 26, 2021

Obituary Willie Vance Cotten Jr. was born April 28, 1975, in New Haven Connecticut to Bishop W. Vance Cotten, Sr. and the late Julie Ann Bell Cotten. He departed this life on May 26, 2021. Vance was educated in the New Haven School system and graduated from Notre Dame High School in West Haven, CT. During his time at Notre Dame, Vance played basketball and football. He was a star athlete during his years in Middle School and High School. Upon completion of high school, he attended Hampton University in Hampton, VA, where he studied music. After college, he served as the director and musician for the Eastern Connecticut University Gospel Choir. Vance was baptized at a young age at St. Matthews UFWB Church in New Haven, CT. He later joined Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church in Middletown, CT, where he served as a Trustee and a faithful musician and was recently added to the church’s Security Team. In addition to being a musician at Shiloh, he also shared his gift of music to various churches around the state and was a highly sought-after keyboard player for many weddings and special events. As busy as he was, he always found time to teach anyone who showed an interest in learning how to play the keyboard. Vance Jr. dedicated his life to running the family business for over 20 years and was also a serial entrepreneur. In the New Haven community, he was known as “VPoint Man”. He volunteered his time as a board member for the non-profit organization Unashamed Inc. Much like his mother, Vance believed that anything worth doing was worth doing right. Vance was a die-hard Patriots and Lakers fan and it wasn’t uncommon to see him wearing his Los Angeles Lakers or his New England Patriots attire. One of Vance’s many favorite hobbies included cooking. He would sometimes share his love for cooking by feeding the church members on Sunday afternoons. Some of his signature entrees included meatloaf, yams, and red velvet cake. In the last few years, Vance became an advocate for healthy eating and would constantly call his parents and siblings to make sure they were eating properly. If you are a friend of Vance, you automatically know that his latest business venture was stocks and investments. He had found his niche and was dedicated to building generational wealth. Much like his father, Vance loved the Lord, serving people, and was determined to leave a legacy behind for his family. He took great pride in empowering those around him by sharing his knowledge of stocks. Vance desired to see his community thrive. Vance leaves to cherish his memory, his father, Bishop W. Vance CottenSr. and his bonus mother, Rev. Dr. Kim L. Cotten; his son Isaiah, his daughters, E’moni and Averi; his siblings, Jonathan (Danielle), Joshua (Sana), JonPaul, and JulieAnne; his grandparents, Mrs. Jessie Powell, and Mr. & Mrs. Jesse Browning and a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends. Vance was predeceased by his mother, Julie Ann Bell Cotten; his grandfather, Bishop Jonathan Powell, his grandparents, Deacon, and Mother Edward Lee Cotten, gone but never forgotten. Vance will live on in all of our hearts.