During the time that the Lord gave him here on earth, Bill Cox led a warm, loving, adventurous life. He was an eagle-eyed pilot. He was a shrewd, wise, kind attorney. And he lived a beautiful romance with his wife of 68 years, Katherine. He was a dad, a granddad and a great granddad who taught his kids how to be smart, how to be strong, and how to play! People who worked with him or served with him on boards and committees always commented on what a gentle, peaceful folk-wisdom he brought to even the most difficult of situations. He was a tender man; a powerful man; a resourceful, clever man. And he loved well.

Born in November of 1933, he ended this brief flicker of life, not as the playful adventurer he was, but by simply and peacefully falling into the Lord's hands as he slept.

Bill began his relationship with that Lord, on May 1, 1967 at a First Presbyterian church retreat at Camp Garawa in Clinton, Ms. He went on to be a lifetime member of that church where he served as a deacon and a ruling elder for more than 30 years. During that time, he particularly enjoyed using his legal skills and his loving heart to facilitate serving the church and the community. For instance, he handled and oversaw the original land acquisition for Reformed Theological Seminary in Jackson, acquiring the old "horse farm" and facilitating the process of turning it into the seminary campus. He was also co-chairman of the committee that acquired the land for Twin Lakes Retreat Center, and served on the committee that oversaw the building of the original youth house with then youth minister, Rev. Jimmy Turner. In addition, he served 39 years as a member and sometimes chairman of First Presbyterian Church Day School board as well as its personnel committee, selecting teachers and staff for the Day School for 27 years.

However, despite the wisdom and gravity he brought to his positions of leadership, he is probably most fondly remembered in the church by members who had him as a sixth grade Sunday school teacher. He always taught the kids with creativity and winsomeness, and even rewarded those who did their memory work with a ride in an airplane!

He was a man who loved his work. He loved being a lawyer. Bill began practicing law with his father, Harold Cox, who was later appointed to the federal bench, at Cox, Dunn & Clark in Jackson. Later, he joined the Watkins & Eager Law Firm where he practiced for most of his professional life, defending countless civil cases in State and Federal Courts all over Mississippi and the Southeast. He loved the energy and "think on your feet" creativity and cleverness that engaging a courtroom trial required. He especially enjoyed arguing cases before the Mississippi Supreme Court and the Fifth Circuit in New Orleans and Houston. He was also president of the Hinds County Bar Association, served as a Fellow of the Bar, and was part of the State Bar Association Admissions Commission.

His military days in the Air Force were some of his favorite "glory days" as he flew some of the world's earliest jets. As he recounted in his book about the experience, he was a stick and rudder pilot, always "pushing the envelope!" He then went on to serve as a jet flight instructor, teaching young lieutenants how to move up from prop-driven aircraft to Air Force jets. Many went on to fly the cutting-edge supersonic jets of the next decades, and some even became astronauts.

After the Air Force (and Law School at Ole Miss), he continued flying privately, and even teaching his kids to fly. One of his greatest pleasures was to take people he loved up for a flight in a Cessna, especially someone who had never flown, and introducing them to the wonder and beauty of God's creation, seen from aloft at 2,000 feet.

His other hobbies included sailing, painting, family trips to the beach, building and flying radio-controlled model airplanes (two of his models are displayed in museums) and cruises to places like Alaska, the Panama Canal, the St. Lawrence Seaway, and the Caribbean. He was a student of military aviation history, consuming books written by the pilots of WWII, Korea and Vietnam. He also published two books of his own, one about his experiences flying Air Force jets, Kick the Tires, Light the Fire, and another about his adventures flying private airplanes entitled, Flying Machines.

He was preceded in death by his Father and Mother, Harold and Edwina Cox, his sister Joanne Bellenger, his grandparents Dr. and Mrs. M.P.L. Berry of Clinton. Also, his and Katherine's son Mark. He is survived by his wife, Katherine (whom he was in love with until the day he passed!), his son John [Norma], daughter Carol Cox Heidelberg [Maison], granddaughters Callie Cox Dixon [Ryan], Katherine Cox Dehmer [Steele], Bonney Cox Ellison [Lee], and grandsons William Peaster [Anna] and Mark Peaster, and great grandsons, Whit Dehmer, Shaw Dehmer, and Mark Cox Ellison. And great granddaughters, Dottie Dixon and Parker Ellison.

He loved his life with this wonderful family of his, always quickly getting down on the floor with his great grandchildren, cheering on the cooks who prepared holiday meals, and always growing tearful as he thanked his God for the blessings of the food and the time we had together on such occasions - a sentiment we all now share with tears of joy and gratitude for the years the Lord gave us with him, and prayerfully following his lead of living life through the prism of his favorite verse of scripture, Romans 8:28,

"All things work together for good to those who love God."

Services will be held at 11:00 am on Saturday, October 5, 2024 at First Presbyterian Church, Jackson with visitation beginning at 9:00am.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to First Presbyterian Church, Jackson, Mississippi.