Born to Clara and James Cox, our beloved father and friend, James Dewitt Cox, has passed away leaving behind a life full of accomplishment and adventure.
Jim set his goals high and had his eyes on the sky, even as a youngster growing up in Farmville, Virginia. He proved to be a studious, hardworking person, and enrolled in a military school in nearby Lexington. Virginia Military Institute (VMI) was a challenging and rewarding experience launching his career in the aviation world. After graduating in 1962, while awaiting his training class with the U.S. Air Force, he traveled to Los Angeles where he worked as a Civil Engineer. While there, he met his beloved wife Judy; they were married in 1963 and began their remarkable journey in Charleston, SC followed by a wonderful few years in Honolulu where he was honorably discharged. In order for Jim to begin his career with PSA, he took Judy and their two young children to live in San Diego in 1969. The camaraderie PSA offered created lifelong friendships.
An avid sports enthusiast, and very athletic, Jim took up sailing, tennis and golf with the same passion he had for flying. When not participating in one of those activities, he was hard at work tending to his avocado grove or working around his home, creating a beautiful place to raise his family. His idea of the perfect day was to come home from a trip, work in the yard, play a few sets of tennis, and then have friends over for cigars and barbecues… and it happened a lot!
USAir took over PSA and Jim spent the remainder of his career flying internationally. Having sailed around the San Juan Islands on several occasions, Jim and Judy found that Friday Harbor was an ideal place to retire. Once they settled in, Jim became active in the community by joining the American Legion, the Lions and the Masonic Lodge. He eagerly flew his beloved plane to and from San Diego as well as flying cancer patients back and forth to the mainland for treatments.
Jim was widowed in 2019 and eventually reconnected with a longtime family friend, Jane Hines Newman of Rice, Virginia. They enjoyed the past few years of friendship and travel, including a remarkable cruise to Antarctica.
A fun-loving, generous, and patriotic man, larger than life and full of energy, Jim was a wonderful husband, father, son, brother and friend, and many benefitted from his friendship, support and leadership.
Jim’s memory and legacy will be treasured by many, most of all his sister Mary Charles (Larry), daughters Kathy and Kim (Dave) and dear friend, Jane Hines Newman.
A Memorial Service will be held at 2:00 on Saturday, June 28th at the Friday Harbor Presbyterian Church on Spring Street.