Frank J. Cox, 89

Frank J. Cox

Frank J. Cox

PORT ORANGE, FLA. — Frank J. Cox, 89, of Port Orange and Stuart, Fla., passed away peacefully on June 21, 2013, at the Halifax Hospice of Volusia/Flagler Care Center in Port Orange, surrounded by loved ones.

He was born on Aug. 13, 1923 in New York, son of the late John and Anna (Kelly) Cox. Frank was a World War II veteran, serving as a pilot in the Army Air Corps in the Pacific Theatre. Upon his return, he met and married the love of his life, the late Cecilia A. (Fawls) Cox, with whom he shared almost 64 years of marriage. With her, Frank raised seven children in the Manhasset, N.Y. home, all while attaining the rank of captain in the New York City Policy Department. Frank also continued to serve in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, and retired as a major. He was a graduate of the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.

Frank will be remembered as a thoughtful, generous and humble gentleman, an engaged father, loyal brother, devoted husband, loving grandfather and amazed great-grandfather. He shared his love of sports with his children, challenging them in tennis, swimming and sailing. He encouraged them to learn a skill when offered the opportunity, and built a backyard basketball court so there would be no excuse for not knowing how to execute a decent lay up (one by unicycle). He shared his common sense perspective in everyday life, as he remarked to his daughter upon the splintering of their sailboat’s mast and ensuing tangle of sail and hull on Manhasset Bay…“You might as well laugh. It’s going to cost the same…” He was a social networking enthusiast long before Facebook, as a longtime ham radio operator under the call sign KA2FWE, and he passed that enthusiasm on to his grandchildren. Frank and his brother Jack reveled in teaching their children how to survive the pounding surf at Jones Beach on Long Island’s south shore, and were lucky enough to return with each and every one of them each time.

Frank enjoyed the camaraderie of the Manhasset Joggers group, and did his civic duty proudly, serving as a member of the Munsey Park Board of Governors, before leaving Manhasset in 1997 for Stuart, Fla. He and Cecilia enjoyed the years they spent there, as well as at their Long Lake (Maine) cabin. At the age of 70, Frank saved a life when he generously became a bone marrow donor to one of his children.

Left to cherish his memory are his brother John Cox; his children, Ann Marie McAvey, Vincent Cox, Eileen Ricci, Rosemary Cox-Collins, Gloria Dickson, Louise Booth and Stephen Cox; 13 grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

He was predeceased by his beloved wife Cecilia on April 4, 2013.

A Funeral Mass was celebrated on Thursday, July 11, 2013 at Our Lady of Hope Catholic Church, 4675 South Clyde Morris Boulevard, Port Orange, Fla.

The family requests in lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Halifax Hospice of Volusia/Flagler, 38000 Woodbriar Trail, Port Orange, FL 32129.