Obituary

Tom has joined the Heavenly choir that he longed to be part of, to praise in person The One Who Is Worthy Of All Our Praise. Tom was born to Charles Raymond Cox and Velma (Hendryx) Cox on April 2, 1948 at the weight of 4lb 5oz in Lansing Michigan. He was proud to carry the names of his grandfathers. His great joy as a child was being at the farm with his Grandpa Hendryx. He was loved, encouraged, and mentored by people in his church. Tom was raised with the idea that children are to be seen and not heard. It seems that he spent his life making up for that. He was frequently in trouble throughout grade school for talking when he shouldn’t. He was even reprimanded as an adult at work for his inappropriate amount of talking.
Tom met June Whittern working at a church camp for kids in Michigan. They wed in 1971 and were married 49 ½ years. Tom’s love for June was characterized by his promise on their honeymoon to always kill spiders for her. He kept that promise, even when he didn’t want to; such as when he had to get out of bed to do so. Tom & June had 2 sons, Josiah & Nathan. Josiah gave them a daughter by marrying Heather Cannizzaro. Tom deeply enjoyed them a was very proud of each of them.
Tom’s faith in Jesus, and the work of the Holy Spirit in his life caused him to be the man he was. His passion was to serve God and serve people—sharing the love, joy, forgiveness, peace, and honor he found in his relationship with Jesus. He also loved teaching from the Bible. Tom & June directed a camp for First Nations kids in BC. That experience led them to working with Native Americans in Seattle, and then to Lummi. Things came full circle when a Lummi elder asked them to direct a Bible camp for Lummi children so they could know Jesus.
Tom had unique ways of doing things that would cause people to shake their heads in wonder. For example, he, as the “driver,” broke his leg by running over it with his van. Tom was a man of seemingly unending interests. He had stints of making candles and soap, beekeeping, tinsmithing, weaving, spinning wool, contra dancing, geocaching, kayaking, camping, and doing genealogy research; to name a few. Tom unintentionally collected many items, from random electrical cords, to flashlights, to writing notebooks; filling up the house to the family’s consternation. He was a lover of reading, his cats, fruitcake, playing games, folk music, June’s pies, puns, traveling, and taking the family on Magical Mystery Tours. As Tom’s mobility decreased, he enjoyed riding his recumbent tricycle—especially with the family accompanying him. Tom’s fear of bears is memorable. It was epitomized by his driving away from June at a campground when she wouldn’t get in the van soon enough because a bear was to close for his comfort—100 yards away.
Tom could talk about nearly anything with anyone. He was an excellent storyteller. As dementia became a part of his life, he could talk nonstop for a long time. He would often say, “I’m just going to say one more sentence.” But that would be a run-on sentence that could go another 10 minutes or more. Tom chose careers that used his verbal skills. Tom first taught everything except driver’s ed for high school dropouts in a one room building. He taught GED students at the Seattle Indian Center, and then Northwest Indian College. He also worked in the Talent Search and Youth Build programs. His last position at Lummi was teaching job readiness skills in the Employment and Training Department. Tom excelled at teaching people who had struggled with learning. His attitude was that if they weren’t successful, he hadn’t yet found the method that worked for them. His strong belief in the value of each person, being made in the image of God, had a positive impact on people.
Tom had 3 families: his family of origin (he is survived by cousins), his immediate family, and his Lummi family. His imprint on their hearts, and so many others will be lasting.
The family is planning on a Celebration of Life for Tom at a later date when it is safe to gather.