Thomas Cox

Thomas Arthur Cox passed away on May 11, 2023, in Nashville, Tennessee, after an extended illness. Born in Canton, Ohio on March 20, 1946, Tom was the eldest of four children of Arthur Willis and Marjorie June (née Chenot) Cox.  Tom graduated from Hoover High School in North Canton, Ohio, in 1964.  He completed a bachelor’s degree from Kent State University in 1968.  Tom entered the Army in 1969 and after basic training at Fort Knox, was deployed to South Korea.  Following an honorable discharge, Tom completed his Juris Doctorate at the University of Akron in 1975 and then practiced law for nearly 45 years.

Preceded in death by his parents, Tom is survived by his son Nate (Brittany) who lives in Memphis, Tennessee and in whom Tom took endless pride.  Tom's former wife (and Nate's mother) Cherie and her daughter Natalie took loving care of Tom as his health failed over the past two years. Tom would be disappointed if we didn't mention Natalie's sister Terra, Natalie and Terra’s husbands Eric and Erich, and step grandchildren Piper, Finn, and Liam.  Tom also is survived by his siblings Jane (Donna) of Kent, Ohio, Ed (Linda) of Dillsboro, Indiana, and Chris (Amy) of Signal Mountain, Tennessee.

Tom had several passions - including antiques, music, cars, and dogs (several Golden Retrievers and his beloved one-eyed Shih Tzu rescue, Charlie) - but his first and foremost priority was family and friends. When Marjorie lived with Tom and Cherie, who cared for her in her last years, dinner each night concluded with the card game Quiddler at the kitchen table.  Tom's nieces and nephews, Ryan (Claudette), Alex (Lorien), Dan, Katie, Maggie, and James (Veronica), will remember his wild bids during Five Hundred card games and long conversations about law, history, politics, and religion.

Tom's skill as a pianist was evidenced by the encouragement from his teachers to make music his profession.  Though he instead chose law, he still graced us with the classics - Chopin, Bach, Scott Joplin - and by accompanying family holiday caroling around the piano, capped by Irving Berlin's arrangement of White Christmas.  Fittingly, recordings of Chopin (Tom's favorite) were played for him in his final hours.

The loss of Tom and his huge heart has left a hole in ours, but we're grateful for the many happy memories that we'll always carry with us.

The family will scatter Tom's ashes on their farm outside Nashville.

Memorial gifts can be made to the Parkinson's Foundation, http://parkinson.org/ .