Floyd Cecil Cox Jr.

Floyd Cecil Cox, Jr., beloved husband, father, grandfather and friend to many – passed away peacefully on Friday, September 8, 2023, at his home in San Antonio, Texas, surrounded by his adoring family. He was 90 years old.

Floyd was born on November 26th, 1932 in Hutchinson, Kansas to Floyd Cecil Cox, Sr. and Clara Belle Anderson Cox. He spent his youth in smalltown Kansas dotted with fields of wheat and sunflowers, giant flour mills and miles of railroads. Floyd spoke fondly of those carefree days as a boy in the 1930’s and 1940’s riding his bicycle everywhere, swimming in the sand pits, picking apples in his Uncle Earl and Aunt Katherine’s orchard, visiting his dad, a Head Miller at Kelly Mills, and when the circus came to town, helping to set up the Big Top.

Upon graduating from Hutchinson High School, Floyd joined the United States Air Force and proudly served four years as a radio operator specializing as a Russian Intercept Operator. During the Korean War the USAF selected him to participate in several special operations in the Aleution Islands and Greenland.

In June 1954, Floyd was honorably discharged as Staff Sergeant. Two weeks later, on June 11th, he married the love of his life, Cynthia Gay Richardson, the beautiful Texas girl he met while he was stationed at Brooks AFB. The next day the newlyweds packed up their 1950 Mercury and moved to Kansas where Floyd attended the University of Kansas. Go Jayhawks!

After earning his degree from the University of Kansas School of Business, Floyd embarked on a thirty-eight year career with Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. With his wife and three children by his side, Floyd climbed the corporate ladder, leading to their relocation to eight different cities across four states, a result of his numerous job promotions. In 1996, he retired in San Antonio as Senior Field Auditor. Floyd valued hard work and a job well done, and he was very proud of his successful career with Goodyear.

Following his retirement from Goodyear, Floyd began his second career as a busy and dedicated volunteer. For the next twenty-seven years he volunteered with the world-renowned National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas and Huebner Elementary School in San Antonio. He often said that as a volunteer at the museum and school, he had the best of both worlds – interviewing veterans who helped make history and working with young students who will make history in the future.

Traveling weekly to and from Fredericksburg, Floyd unselfishly logged thousands of hours at the museum as a Volunteer Coordinator, Docent and Oral History Administrator for the Nimitz Education and Research Center. Floyd was instrumental in reviving and building up the Oral History Program. He worked closely with World War II veterans and the volunteer oral history team to interview thousands of Americans who experienced different aspects of WWII. Always a proud American patriot, Floyd knew the preservation of the interesting stories of American WWII heroes was important for both current and future generations. He considered it a significant team accomplishment to have made nearly 4,000 of these historical interviews available online at: https://digitalarchive.pacificwarmuseum.org.

Equally notable was Floyd’s twenty-year commitment to volunteering and mentoring students at Huebner Elementary. He was in his late 60’s when he began reading books to one of his grandson’s 2nd grade class. His involvement blossomed from there and year after year he relished his time spent with Mrs. Anderson’s second graders – reading books, sharing his stories about growing up during the Great Depression and WWII. He introduced hundreds of young students to the art of making paper airplanes, taught them Morse Code, and how to make homemade birdhouses. In recognition of his outstanding volunteerism at Huebner, Floyd received “The Texas PTA Honorary Life Membership Award”, the highest honor bestowed by the Texas PTA, for outstanding service to children.

Floyd truly lived life to the fullest every day, making each day count. He enjoyed his family get-togethers, and he made sure they were always fun and full of laughter. He was a gifted woodworker building beautiful handmade jewelry boxes, doll houses and an heirloom baby cradle. He spent many hours tending to his vegetable garden and gorgeous roses. He enjoyed feeding and watching the hummingbirds that visited his patio. In addition, as a voracious reader, Floyd had a personal library of over 2,000 books. He was the true definition of a “history buff”. A real gentleman with an American patriot’s heart, Floyd was known for easily making lifelong friends. He had a knack for connecting with people. Maya Angelou’s words “… people will never forget how you made them feel” perfectly describes Floyd’s lasting impression on people.

Floyd often said, family is the most important thing, and he lived by those words every day. If you knew Floyd, you knew how much he loved and cherished Cynthia Gay, his wife. He thanked God each day for leading him to his “green eyes” and for giving them 69 great years together. The love, adoration and respect they had for each other was greatly admired by all who knew the couple.

Floyd frequently expressed gratitude for his blessed life and took the greatest pride in his three children, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Being a devoted Christian, he instilled in his children the importance of faith, family and integrity. Floyd was a devoted father who made every effort to be involved in the lives of his children, all of whom have the greatest love and respect for their father. Floyd inspired them with his unwavering perseverance, remarkable resilience, love of his country, sweet smile, work ethic and his great love for their mother. His sense of humor was legendary – laughing often was key to his happy life. He took every opportunity to say “I love you” to each of his children, every time he talked with them.

Floyd, also known as “Papa”, was a fun and caring grandfather and great-grandfather. He never passed up a moment to engage with each of them. Papa taught them the meaning of a firm handshake, how to use various tools, fish and play a lively game of UNO. He attended hundreds of his grandchildren’s sporting events and could be seen on the sidelines taking thousands of treasured photos.

Floyd was preceded in death by his parents Floyd Cecil Cox, Sr. and Clara Anderson Cox and his brothers James and Robert Cox. He is survived by his loving wife Cynthia Gay Cox, and children Cynthia Cox Bigley (Michael), Cathleen Cox, and Christopher B. Cox (Cheryl Ann). He is also survived by grandchildren Christopher M. Cox, Jordan Koepke, Cayla Cox, Mitchell Bigley, Elizabeth Koepke Espinoza, Drake Bigley and Preston Bigley; and great-grandchildren Katelyn Cox, Emily Cox, Sophie Cox and Addison Cox. He is also survived by his two brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law and many nieces and nephews.

The family sincerely appreciates the extraordinary care provided to Floyd by Dr. Flavio Alvarez, Paul and the care team at Fresenius. In addition, the family is grateful for the highest quality of care given by Rebekah, Ally, Jose and the team at Heart of Texas Hospice.

A Committal Service will be held at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery in San Antonio, TX on October 20, 2023 at 11:00am.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that you consider making memorial donations to St. Jude’s, a charity that held a special place in Floyd’s heart:

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

501 St. Jude Place

Memphis, TN 38105

Or visit www.stjude.org

Floyd’s family will miss him dearly and will cherish his memory and legacy forever.

GOD. FAMILY. COUNTRY.