Obituary of Lillian Cox

Lillian Emily Cox Lillian Emily Cox was born to Orris Minor Shutt and Arlene (Crosgrove) Shutt on January 8, 1918, in Jamestown, NY. At the age of two, Lillian moved with her parents to San Angelo, Texas, where her father was employed by The San Angelo Standard-Times. As a teenager she was baptized at the First Baptist Church in San Angelo. She attended San Angelo Junior College (now Angelo State University) before completing her Bachelor of Arts in English at the University of Texas in 1939. Lillian also completed two summer semesters of work in Library Science at LSU and the University of Illinois. While attending the University of Texas, Lillian met her future husband, Jack Ray Cox, at the youth group of the University Baptist Church. They were subsequently married on November 1, 1944, while he was enrolled in the University of Texas Medical School in Galveston, Texas. After completion of his medical degree and a one-year internship in Salt Lake City, Utah, Lillian and Jack moved to Teague, Texas, where they remained until her husband’s death in January 2003, when she moved to Oaknoll Retirement Residence in Iowa City. Lillian was an avid reader with eclectic tastes. Her father’s love of journalism was transmitted to her. There were 4 daily newspapers, 3 Sunday editions, and a weekly newspaper delivered throughout the week. Monthly magazines and books on various topics, especially Texana, flowed into the household continuously, and she promoted a strong sense of curiosity in all of those around her. She developed a reputation as a skilled Southern cook. In addition to serving as president of the PTA and a Cub Scout leader, she was for many years the teacher of the young women's BYKOTA Sunday School class at the First Baptist Church of Teague. A devoted mother, she taught her three sons the supreme importance of courtesy. Lillian was preceded in death by her husband and four siblings: Elliott Shutt, Marion Hathaway, Virginia Talbert, and Donald Shutt. She is survived by three children and seven grandchildren: Jeffrey Cox (Lois) of Iowa City and their children Eleanor Cox of Santa Cruz, CA, and David Cox of St. Paul, MN; Andrew Cox (Mary Ann) of Albuquerque, NM, and their children, Emily Moyer (Eric) of Boulder, CO, Julia Stephens (David) of Mishawaka, IN, and Katherine Cox of Montclair, NJ; Russell Cox (Martha) of Gastonia, NC, and their children, Matthew Cox of Bloomington, IN, and Benjamin Cox of Wichita Falls, TX. She is also survived by several nephews and nieces including Anne Roussos of Austin, TX, with whom she was particularly close. Memorial contributions may be made to public radio station KSUI in Iowa City. Funeral services will be held in Teague, Texas. Local arrangements were handled through Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service of Iowa City.