Charles "Charlie" L. Cox Obituary (1930 - 2014)

Charles L. "Charlie" Cox, 84, of Decatur, IL passed away at 6:30 p.m. on Monday (Oct. 13, 2014) in Fair Havens Christian Home. A service to celebrate Charlie's life will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Friday (Oct. 17, 2014) at West Decatur Church of God with Pastors Jim Baldwin and Jeff Fletcher officiating. The family will receive friends for a time of visitation from 5:00-7:00 p.m. on Thursday at Dawson & Wikoff North Chapel and one hour prior to services at the church on Friday. Burial will be in Oak Park Cemetery, Clinton, IL. Memorial contributions may be directed to Decatur Chapter of A Step Forward or Decatur Chapter of Special Olympics. Charlie was born on February 28, 1930 in Kincaid, IL, the son of Sylvester "Earl" and Dorothy (Ferguson) Cox. Charlie worked at A.E. Staley Manufacturing Company from 1950-1987 and served as a consultant until 1991. Charlie married Marilyn L. Lawson on November 10, 1985. He was a member of West Decatur Church of God. He volunteered at nursing homes and the food pantry at the church. Charlie ministered to the handicapped for over 20 years. He played basketball until he was 65 years old and softball until he was 70 years old. Charlie is survived by his wife: Marilyn L. Cox of Decatur, IL; children: Cheri (Tim) Wilson of Martinsville, IN, Michael (Linda) Cox of Bloomington, IN, Timothy (Denise) Cox of LeRoy, IL, Debbie (Rick) Albright of Decatur, IL and June (Brian) Miller of Decatur, IL; step-daughter: Lisa Lynn Buchanan of Mattoon, IL; daughter-in-law: Hope Cox of Decatur, IL; sisters: Rosemary Richards of Decatur, IL, Lucille "Luke" Coughlin of King, NC and Eleanor "Nan" Bridgman of Decatur, IL; 17 grandchildren; 23 great grandchildren; 1 great grandchild on the way. He was preceded in death by his parents, infant son: John Earl Cox, son: Charles A. Cox, stepson: Kevin Earl Sadowski, brothers: Neal "Gene" Cox, Rodney Cox and Tommy Cox. The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at Fair Havens Christian Home for the loving care Charlie received during his stay. Messages of condolence may be sent to the family at www.dawson-wikoff.com.