Toni Lynne Cotti

March 12, 1960 - June 1, 2024

Toni Lynne Cotti (Wilson), 64, serenely passed away in the loving embrace of family in Plano on June 1.  She was preceded in death by her parents Winifred Wilson and Cora Hale; grand parents Banner Wilson, Alice Wilson, Lorenzo Hale, and Hannah Hale.  She is survived by her spouse Paul Eugene Cotti, sons Joshua (Bianca) Lane, Benjamin (Christopher) Hoss [née Lane], daughter Stephanie (Sean) Taylor [née Cotti], grandchildren Stella Taylor and Sage Taylor, and siblings Wyn (Gayle) Wilson, Donna Wilson, and Jeff (LaVange) Wilson, and dear friends.

Toni was born on March 12, 1960, in Flint, Michigan.  She graduated from Hamady High School in 1978, and earned a Junior Accounting degree from Baker College in 1980.  From childhood, Toni loved reading the Little House on the Prairie book series.  These stories had significant meaning and impact on how she viewed and lived life,  especially with regards to family, dignified simplicity, hard work, and perseverance.  She loved traveling to the various sites associated with these stories and would have scholarly discussions with the guides there.  She deeply loved and was very protective of her family and close friendships.  As a single parent raising two sons, she personally did without in order to provide for them.  This was especially true during such important times as their teenage years and Christmas holiday season, which she also loved.  During a particularly difficult time in her life, she met its challenges while doing volunteer work for The WARM Place, a nonprofit organization that helps children and families cope with the loss of a loved one.  She believed that helping others was a particularly effective way to navigate the emotional toll of difficult periods.

Toni served 30 years in the U.S. Department of Transportation as an Administrative Assistant and then as an Aviation Safety Technician.  In her first days there, she was given the unenviable "new girl" task of revising the many orders and directives in the office library with piles of overdue updates.  It was a solitary and mostly thankless task, but while doing so Toni familiarized herself with the contents of those materials.  She quickly became an acknowledged and sought out expert on internal FAA requirements. To debate her on these requirements was a fool's errand.  Toni served on national inspection teams and other projects, and in 1997 was honored with her children in attendance as the FAA's National Administrative Assistant of the Year by the FAA Administrator in our nation's capital.  She retired in 2018.  She loved vacationing with Paul on Mackinac Island in Lake Huron, and closely followed its seasons, people, and goings-on.  She loved her life, and was deeply loved in a peaceful and protective bubble that was the home she created in Grand Prairie, Texas.

Toni was active in her community.  For years she volunteered to provide neighborhood communications and worked for improvements as a member of her Property Improvement District committee. She was very private about her religious and spiritual views. Her actions suggested core spiritual values as generosity, kindness, and empathy, especially for the marginalized.  She completed her goals in life, and immensely enjoyed the retirement she started actively planning after reading those manual updates in the first days of her FAA career.  Her husband, Paul,  family and friends cannot adequately express their debt, appreciation, and eternal love for Toni.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Toni's name to The WARM Place, or Shelter2Rescue Coalition, an all-volunteer rescue organization dedicated to the safe rehoming of shelter animals.

Please join family and friends for  service to celebrate Toni's life at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, June 17, 2024 at

Jeter & Son Chapel, 4830 W. Illinois Ave, Dallas. Texas.

Private inurnment will follow at Dallas / Fort Worth National Cemetery.