Jimmy Charles Cox

Jimmy Charles “Jim” Cox, 83, departed this earthly life at his home in Plano, TX on August 2nd 2020 with his children present and while looking up with clear blue eyes and a full heart into the eyes of his beloved wife Donna.

Jim was born June 21, 1937 at Oswalt, OK to James Alvin “Bill” and Eula Maud Carlile Cox. The Coxes were a loving and religious family in which Jim had a lifelong pride in calling his own. The last of 13 children, he started life with lots of love and prayers directed his way as he struggled to nurse. He was eventually only able to drink buttermilk, which he enjoyed regularly his entire life. As an adolescent he began to excel at basketball and singing and playing the guitar. In what would become a prolifically musical family, Jim would come to be seen as the family’s musical trailblazer. After graduating from Meadowbrook High School in 1955 he started his “rambling” period when he left home to attend Southeastern Oklahoma State on a basketball scholarship. Coach Bloomer Sullivan saw tremendous promise in Jim’s talent and even though his family couldn’t afford all the expenses of college he allowed Jim to sleep in the boiler room and even bought him his first contact lenses to help him along. He was “tickled to death” to have Bloomer’s belief in him, but it just wasn’t what he was looking for, so he left in 1957.

From there he seemed to live with just about everyone in his family as he worked odd jobs in factories and oil fields in Texas and Oklahoma, all the while playing in a band and trying to make a career in music, even recording in a studio in 1959 in New Mexico. He joined the Army Reserves in 1959 and served for 6 years. The Army took him to many different states where he was always recruited to play basketball on the Army teams and continued to front rock n roll bands on the side. He “had a ball” those years but still hadn’t found what he was looking for.

Near the end of 1964 he went West to California to live with his oldest sister and “run” with his nephews and soon after going to work for Beneficial Finance. A coworker he befriended at Beneficial had a sister-in-law who was also staying with her sister after remaining in California to finish high school when her parents had moved to Waco, Texas. A few years later he got a date with her and six months later married the love of his life Donna Sue Kruger in 1971. They soon moved back to Dallas, TX in 1972 and started a new life parked halfway between her parents in Waco,TX and his extended family in Ardmore, OK. He soon had a baby girl Jennifer in 1973 and two year later a son Dustin. He finally stopped his rambling days when he bought a house in Plano, TX in 1977 and settled down for good. He was getting closer, but still hadn’t found what he was looking for.

In 1987 he answered an altar call at his brother’s church and accepted Jesus as his savior. He was confirmed took first communion later that year in the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod and was a member of Faith Lutheran Church in Plano for 33 years. He retired in 1996 after 31 loyal years with Beneficial and settled in to a routine of mornings with his buddies at the donut shop, days watching TV with his beloved dog Shae and taking care of the house and even cooking dinners before Donna came home from work. He attended a massive music filled four-day Family Reunion at Lake Murray every year from 1991-2019 where he continued to play music in family jam sessions and enjoy fellowship with the ever-growing Cox Family. By 1999 both kids had followed his footsteps out to California and it was a season in life for he and Donna to enjoy their time together. As happy as he was however, he still had not truly found what he was looking for.

In 2008 his first granddaughter was born and by the end of that year both of his kids returned to Texas, Jennifer with her husband Jeff and new daughter Delanie. Dustin soon left to live in Jim’s native Oklahoma for a couple of years while Jennifer welcomed his second granddaughter Preslee into the world in 2010. By 2012 both kids were back in Plano and in 2013 he got his first grandson Jameson. Jim’s routine now included picking up grandkids from school and spending lots of time enjoying watching them grow and teaching them everything he could. With Jennifer and Dustin back home, he soon had three houses he could tool around and fix things in which pleased him so! He couldn’t have wanted anything else in life, but still, there was still something else he was still looking for.

He spent his last days at home surrounded by loved ones, eating some of his favorite foods and watching old home movies and Merle Haggard performances on YouTube. He could play and sing and deeply relate to countless Merle songs and he made his music a big part of the Cox Family culture; especially The Roots of My Raising (Run Deep). Merle lived the music business life on the road, while Jim made a stable home with Donna and lived the music life vicariously through Merle.

Even when struggling to speak near the end, Jim could still get out his patented come back to “I love you”, “I do you too.” His last gaze in this world was into Donna’s eyes and his next gaze was in paradise with his Creator and Redeemer as the angels rejoiced in heaven; with Merle likely leading the music. His last moment on this earth was perfect and extended into his new perfect life in eternity. And when he’s “been there 10,000 years, bright shining as the sun, he’ll have no less days to sing God’s praise, then when he first begun.” Through the amazing grace of God, Jim finally found what he was looking for in a life well lived and eternal life with Jesus.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers Delbert Lee Cox, Clarence Alvin “Punch” Cox, W.G. ‘Hap” Cox, Keith Walden “Jack” Cox, Bobby Gene “Bob” Cox and Harold “Dean” Cox; sisters Juanita Dane, Aleta Gray, Billie L. Griffin, Faye Marie McComber, Betty Sue Chambers and Frances JoAnn Hyder; mother and father-in-law Edna Lydia Louise and Leo August Kruger; sister-in-law Betty Lou DeVries; and brothers-in-law Billy Ray Kruger and Earl “Gene” Kruger.

He is survived by his wife Donna Cox of the home, daughter Jennifer Caffee and husband Jeff of Richardson, TX, son Dustin Cox of Garland, TX, grandchildren Delanie Caffee, Preslee Caffee and Jameson Caffee, sister-in-law Dee Ann Cox, brother-in-law Johnny Kruger and wife Barbara, sister-in-law Joyce Louden and husband Roger, brothers-in-law Dean Kruger and Gary Kruger, sister-in-law Caron Kruger and many many nieces, nephews and friends.

Funeral services will be at Faith Lutheran Church at 2:00 P.M., Thursday, August 6th 2020 in Plano Texas. Graveside services will be at Oswalt Cemetery in Oswalt, OK on Saturday, August 8th, 2020 at 10:30 A.M.

Casket bearers for Plano will be Eric Kimbriel, Scott Hoffner, Stephen Skaggs, Ryan Wuerthele, Robert Thompson and Trent Cox.

Casket bearers will be Joey Buck, Logan Russell, Josh Buck, Jace Riggs, Chase Cox, Chad Cox, and Tyler Riggs. Honorary bearers will be all his beloved nephews.

In Lieu of flowers, family ask for donations to be made to the Faith Lutheran School in Plano, 1701 E Park Blvd, Plano, TX 75074.
Memories and photos may shared online at www.alexanderfuneralhome.org.