Joyce E. (Doherty) Cotton

KENNEBUNK – Joyce E. (Doherty) Cotton passed away on Friday Feb. 28, 2025, after a courageous battle following an accident.

Born on Sept. 4, 1952, Joyce was a proud nurse known for her big heart and outgoing personality. Following her childhood in Quincy and Stoneham, Mass., Joyce attended Merrimack College, Lawrence General Nursing Program and Salem State University undergrad and graduate programs. More recently, her determination and dedication to her field inspired her to return to school to obtain her doctorate in Nursing Practice from Northeastern University.

Joyce married Paul Cotton in 1979 and lived in Essex and Groveland, Mass., before moving to Maine in 1985, where they raised their girls. She spent the majority of her professional career as the VP of Clinical Services and Chief Clinical Nursing officer for Spring Harbor Hospital and Maine Behavioral Healthcare. Joyce was deeply loved by her family and expansive group of lifelong close friends. She touched countless lives through both her personal and professional relationships. Her strength and resilience during her final months was a testament to the spirit she carried throughout life.

Joyce is survived by her husband of 45 years, Paul B Cotton, her daughters, Katherine A. Cotton and Abigail B. Cotton of Kennebunk, step-daughter Charlotte Scott and grandchildren, James A. Scott and Gracen E. Scott of Merrimac, Mass. Joyce also leaves her siblings, Carol Collins and her husband Joe, Joseph Doherty and his wife Lee, Margo Liepetro, Elaine Dolan, Maureen Gormley and her husband Paul, as well as several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Anne and Joseph Doherty, her brother John Doherty and her brothers-in-law, Joseph Liepetro and Edward Dolan.

Visiting Hours will be held on Friday March 7, 2025, from 10 a.m. – noon at the Bibber Memorial Chapel, 67 summer Street, Kennebunk. A service to honor Joyce’s life will be held on Friday March 7, 2025 at noon at Bibber Memorial Chapel.

To share a memory or leave a message of condolence please visit Joyce’s Book of Memories Page at http://www.bibberfuneral.com.

Arrangements are in the care of Bibber Memorial Chapel, 67 Summer Street, Kennebunk, ME 04043.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Cotton Family Memorial Scholarship, to be created in honor of Joyce for a Kennebunk High School graduate entering the field of Nursing.