Richard Douglas Cox, age 91, died peacefully at home on September 20, 2018 from complications of diabetes. His wife Bianca and children Cecille, Cheri, Suzanne, Everett and Randall surrounded him with love when he went to his eternal home.
Richard was born to Douglas and Salinda Cox on April 30, 1927 in Long Beach, California. He spent his summers renting umbrellas on the beach and in summer band practice. At age 16 he was in school half days and worked half days for Douglas Aircraft as a riveter on the Douglas 1-20.
When Richard was 17 Jordan High School graduated their seniors in February as WWII in 1944 badly needed more man power. Richard and his band buddy Fred enlisted in the Navy immediately after their mothers signed the required consent forms. Sadly Fred was killed in an attack on his ship headed for Japan.
Richard’s mother was a lifelong church organist and his father was a petroleum engineer and walnut rancher in Ontario, California. Richard’s only sibling Jay A. Cox, also a Navy veteran, died on June 5, 2018. After an honorable discharge in 1946, Richard returned home to the family walnut ranch, and kept the tractors, dryers and hullers in working order.
In Ontario, California, Richard enrolled in the local college majoring in music, with an emphasis on arranging. He met his future wife, Bianca the summer before her junior year in high school.They met again in the fall, when they were selected to be the clarinetists for the joint high school and Chaffey College orchestra.
Their love of music has always been part of their lives. Their children all played an instrument in the school bands and daughter Suzanne became a professional bassoonist.
After graduating Chaffey College Richard traveled with his band The Rhythm Masters for a year. Richard then enrolled in University of California at Berkeley majoring in engineering.
He and Bianca Polk married in the Allen Avenue Baptist Church in 1948 before heading off to Berkeley. Richard graduated with a mechanical engineering degree in 1952. When he wanted to boost his grade point average, he took a music course. He wrote a fight song for the band which they played at football games for a number of years. He arranged pop music for the Huntsville Symphony for outdoor concerts.
After graduating from UC Berkeley Richard worked most of his career in the Space Industry. At Edwards Air Force Base in the California desert where he worked on static test firings. After 10 years he was transferred to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, Alabama for a two year assignment with the Rocket Program and worked on the Saturn 1-B. After the two years were up Richard decided that Huntsville was a great place to rear a family so he and Bianca decided to stay.
While working nearly a decade at Edwards Air Force Base, Richard and his family lived in Lancaster, California and were members of First Baptist Church, Dr. Hudson pastor, where Richard served as deacon. Richard and Bianca founded the Antelope Valley Concert Band and performed with them for five years.
They transferred their membership of First Baptist Church Lancaster, to First Baptist Church Huntsville in 1962 where they sang 11 years in the choir with Eugene Brasher conducting. They were also members of the First Baptist Church orchestra, Billy Orton conducting.
Richard and Bianca auditioned for the Huntsville Symphony and performed with the orchestra for many years. Daughter Suzanne was a member of the Symphony for several years as well. Richard played contra bass clarinet and contra bassoon. He also formed another swing band, The Richard Cox Orchestra and performed all around Alabama and Tennessee.
Richard’s hobbies include photography, gardening, travel, music and woodworking. Several of his action photos were included in the school’s yearbook. He developed his own color film and ironed each photo into a cardboard folder.
He was a master gardener and experimented with heirloom plants. He gave away box loads of vegetables every year.
His travels took him and his family all around North and South America. He went to /Canada to find an uncle who emigrated to Red Deer, Alberta to take up farming after WWI. He found his uncle and also his first cousin and family, the McElroys.
Richard was preceded in death by his parents Douglas and Salinda Cox, his brother Jay A. Cox his niece Susan Cox. His mother-in-law Elizabeth McLaughlin, his father-in-law, Robert F. Polk, brothers-in-law Don Polk and his wife Judy, Robert F. Polk, Jr. and Everett Cohron. Foster daughter Pam Ryer Watters, and nephew-in-law Bob Lewis.
Survivors include his wife of 70 years, Bianca Polk, children, Cecille Cox Spina, Cheri Cox Kaplan, (Ronald) Everett Douglas Cox, Suzanne Cox Jackson, Randall Phillip Cox (Tricia), foster son Don Phillips; Grandchildren, Richard Anthony Spina, Robert Mark Jackson (Cecilia), Amber and Ryan Cox Kaplan, Douglas, Catherine, and Jennifer Cox; sister-in-law, Dena Cox, nephew, Larry Cox, nieces, Donna Cox and Nancy Cox Lachapelle (Mike).
Pallbearers are Danny Hallman, Dale Hutchens, Werner Smock, Danny Hutson, Dale Proctor, Ray Reska, Honorary pallbearers are Everett Cox, Randall Cox, Don Spina, Don Phillips, James Matus, Sam Denham.
Visitation is at 11:00 am, one hour before The Church Service at 12:00, at The First Baptist Church, 600 Governors Drive., in the Chapel on Thursday September 27, 2018.
Memorials may be made to the First Baptist Church Orchestra, or to the Salvation Army.
Richard was a beloved Husband, Father, Grandfather, Uncle, and Friend, and will be missed.
