- Date Of Birth: November 8, 1930
- Date Of Death: February 8, 2022
- State: Utah
Gordon E Cox, our beloved Husband, Dad, Grandpa, “Papa Cox”, Brother, and Friend to all who knew him, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on February 8, 2022, at the young age of 91. Born on November 8, 1930, in Hooper, Utah to Ervin and Nola (Manning) Cox. Gordon was a “Hooper Boy” in every sense of the word. Growing up he developed a love for farming, raising turkeys, playing baseball, basketball, and loved to play the saxophone. He was a charmer, and enjoyed chasing girls around town with his friends, and especially enjoyed Friday Nights at the Hooper Dance Hall.
Gordon loved his country and proudly served during the Korean War as a member of the 28th infantry Division of the Army from 1952 to 1954, where he saw duty in Germany for 18 months and achieved rank of Corporal.
Following his return from military service, Gordon’s love for chasing girls paid off, as he married the love of his life, Noleen Fielding, (also from Hooper) on June 17,1954, in the Salt Lake Temple. Early on in their marriage they spent a short time in Soap Lake, Washington, and then returned to Hooper to settle down and build a home on a piece of ground just west of Noleen’s parents.
Over the years this piece of land came to be known as “Cox’s Corner”, as they worked together to raise their six children, and teach them the importance of hard work, love, and service. The years of hard work paid off as they were blessed with 27 grandchildren and 64 great-grandchildren, that grew to love making memories on Cox’s Corner.
Gordon worked hard to provide for his family. ln additlon to running a family farm, he also worked at Del Monte Foods and on Hill Air Force Base for many years. He retired from HAFB in 1986. No matter how hard he worked, Gordon always found time for his family. His grandkids loved helping him on the farm. To them there was nothing Grandpa couldn’t do or fix. Whether it was riding along on the tractor with him to feed the cows, or running up the silage pit during harvest season, Gordon always made the work seem fun for his grandkids. They especially loved going to “break time” with Grandpa at Boehmes, where Gordon would regularly meet up with his best friend, Art Moore, to drink Diet Sodas and shoot the breeze. Gordon’s love for farming lasted his entire life, and in his later years he loved watching his grandson, Blaker, continue the farming tradition.
Gordon loved the outdoors and shared this love with his family by taking them hunting, fishing and camping. He always looked forward to annual trips to Hebgen Lake in Montana each summer when their kids were young. As their family grew, he and Noleen loved trips to Strawberry where they would camp at Renegade, and he would take his grandkids out in his boat and teach them the art of hooking a fish while falling asleep in his chair. He also enjoyed annual trips to Lake Powell to fish for Stripers with the boys. Gordon loved to hunt from the time he was a young boy and passed this love for hunting onto his son and grandsons, as many years were spent deer hunting in the Fish Lake area and around the fields of Hooper.
Gordon was a great athlete, and he passed that love for sports onto his kids and grandkids. He enjoyed attending his grandkid’s ball games, and even after all of his grandkids had graduated high school, he continued attending Fremont High School boys and girls basketball games with his brother and sister in law, Fred and Cathy Cox, for as long as his health would allow. He attended his final game last Friday, as he watched his great-grandson’s Rocky Mountain Grizzlies playoff game.
Gordon was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He enjoyed serving in the Ogden Temple, as a temple worker with his wife for many years. He fulfilled many other callings over the years and loved serving with his wife Noleen as a Special Needs Youth leaders over the years.
Gordon’s key to a long life was a steady diet of vanilla oreos and McDonald’s egg mcmuffins. He always looked forward to the daily morning drive to Mcdonalds with his kids and sometimes grandkids, to get his egg mcmuffin and cruise around town with no specific destination in mind. Gordon just enjoyed the car rides, and it was a chance to see what was going on around Hooper and surrounding cities.
Gordon was never a man of many words, but there were a few common phrases he loved to say. When something went wrong or broke his first words would be “Oh, dear, dear, dear,” Or he would always start a story by saying “The situation of it is…”. And lately he would love to say, “My lifestyle is changing something fierce” when referring to his life slowing down as he aged. Even with few words, he knew how to make his grandkids laugh, and they knew he loved them.
Gordon is survived by his children: Sherri (Alan) Russell, Renae (Steve) Bullard, Neil (Kathy) Cox, Lynette (Bruce) Wilson, Naleen (Mark) Lee, his siblings Deon, Ann, Fred, Janis, Evelyn, 26 grandchildren and 62 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his loving wife Noleen, daughter Annette, parents, one grandson and two great-grandchildren.
The family would like to thank the doctors and nurses of Cascade Springs Hospice care and the staff at Lotus Park Assisted Living who cared for Gordon these last few weeks.
