September 21, 2025, 91, Goldsboro —
Annie Jean Britt Cotton, 91, of the Jordan Chapel community in Mount Olive, passed away peacefully on Sunday, September 21, 2025.
Annie Jean, better known as Tincey, was born April 7, 1934, just 50 yards from the farmhouse where she grew up. Tincey’s life was defined by resilience, devotion, and love for family. At the age of 16, she married the love of her life, Buck Cotton Jr., a proud sailor in the United States Navy, on June 20, 1950.
Annie worked for 35 years at Burlington Mills Drapery in Reidsville, where she was part of the company’s historic integrated workforce and made special lifelong friends in Sandra Slade, Judy Chapman, and Nancy Tate.
She was known for her perfect work attendance, her commitment to her job, and her spirited contributions on the Burlington Mills women’s softball team. She spent countless weekends driving home from Reidsville to be with her family. After retirement, she continued her hardworking ways, helping her daughter and son-in-law raise baby pigs in Grantham, North Carolina, for nearly 27 years.
For 60 years, Tincey was a proud member of the Eastern Star, Newton Grove Lodge, where her dedication and fellowship touched countless lives.
Tincey was preceded in death by her husband, Buck; her sister, Ida Francis Parker; her brother, Lethel Britt; her oldest daughter, Deborah Chunn; and her son-in-law, Wayne Mills. She is survived by her youngest daughter, Donna Mills; son-in-law, Robert Chunn; her grandchildren, Pamela Evans and Donnarie Hales; and her great-grandchildren, Clayton Stewart, Madeline Stewart, Reagan Hales, and Benton Hales. She is also survived by several nieces and nephews who will carry her memory forward.
Her legacy is one of grit, laughter, and unwavering love for family.
Tincey will lie in state at Seymour Funeral Home on Tuesday, September 23, 2025, from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. A graveside service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 24, 2025, at the Britt Family Cemetery, 324 Westbrook Church Road, Mount Olive, NC.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to the Masonic Home for Children or the Shriners Children’s Hospital.
Services are entrusted to Seymour Funeral Home and Cremation Service.
