Tim Cox Died Friday, December 15, 2006

Dear Friends,

You all know by now about Tim's falling and breaking his leg on Wednesday, December 13th, and his death on Friday, December 15th from heart failure after surgery to repair the leg. The doctors did everything possible to save him, but his heart was so weak, it just slowly stopped beating.

I am going to copy his obituary below and give you the order of the funeral. Several other items are included in KHS64 More. Click on that link (listed under Links on the right side of this page) to read those.

You know how much Tim loved you. He told you over and over, but it was never just a saying with him. He meant it from his heart.

This picture is one I took in our living room the first of December. I had the camera in my hand and just snapped it because I liked that sweater vest, white shirt and Christmas tie. The newspapers used this shot in the obituary write-up, but of course you couldn't really see much except for his face. I thought it was a great picture.

Here's the obituary notice. It ran in the Morning News here in Florence, the State Newspaper in Columbia and the Sun News in Myrtle Beach.

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FLORENCE | Timothy Clyde Cox, 60, died Friday, December 15, 2006 in a local hospital after an illness.

He was born in Kingstree, S.C., a son of Ora Lee Tanner Cox and the late Theron C. Cox.

At the age of five, Tim developed diabetes and by the time he was in his 20's, he had lost his vision from diabetic complications. Soon thereafter he lost kidney function as well.

A successful kidney transplant (donated by his mother, Ora Lee) returned Tim to a more normal lifestyle. He then finished his college education at Francis Marion University with a B.S. degree in business administration in 1982.

In 1984, he married Bette Motte Gaymon and together they established Executive Services of the Pee Dee, Inc., in 1986. Family Memories is a division of their company.

Diabetes eventually began to deteriorate Tim's transplanted kidney and in 1988 he received a successful double transplant of kidney and pancreas at the University of Minnesota Medical Center.

Tim was an active member of Trinity Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Florence, where he also played the French Horn.

He was also the recipient of many awards for community and political volunteer service including the South Carolina Handicapped Citizen of the Year, 1988; Employer of the Year of the Handicapped, 1988; Florence Handicapped Citizen of the Year, 1988; and the Outstanding Jaycee in South Carolina, 1978.

His community activities included participation in the American Diabetic Association, serving on the S.C. State Board of Directors; American Cancer Society, serving as Williamsburg County Special Events Chairman; The Kidney Foundation, serving as Williamsburg County Chairman; and service on the Committee on Computers for the Physically Handicapped, Chicago, Ill.

Mr. Cox was also an active campaign volunteer for many political candidates.

''He Made A Difference,'' is how Tim wanted to be remembered.

Survivors, in addition to his mother of Darlington, include his wife, Elizabeth ''Bette'' Motte Cox of the home; a daughter, Angelia Cox (Vernon) Ogburn of Myrtle Beach; a stepdaughter, Shelby (Terry) Jenerette of Mullins; a stepson, Paul Gaymon of Alexandria, Va.; two grandchildren, Bella Ogburn and Liam Ogburn; two step grandchildren, Jonathan Powell and Erik Gaymon; and two brothers, Dale Cox of Florence and Bryan Cox of Murrells Inlet.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Monday, December 18, 2006 in Trinity Presbyterian Church, directed by Waters-Powell Funeral Home.

The family will receive friends from 12:30 to 2 p.m. at the church on Monday prior to the service. Burial will follow in Florence Memorial Gardens.

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We had the visitation and the funeral back-to-back at our church, Trinity Evangelical Presbyterian Church, in Florence, so that it would be less stressful physically on Tim's mother Ora Lee Cox (age 87). All during the planning, I felt as though I was being directed on just what songs to choose, what scriptures for our pastors to include, and everything Tim's daughter Angie requested was exactly on target, too. Tim and I had talked with other people over the years about what kind of funeral service we wanted, full of upbeat praise music and a time of celebration. And that's what we had.

Tim and I had just retired from the Trinity praise team the last Sunday in September hoping to be able to spend more time visiting with our families. I had been a church musician for over 40 years, and Tim for nearly as long as we were married (22 years Christmas Day).

During the service our Trinity praise team sang and played one of Tim's all-time favorite choruses, "This Is The Day," followed by one we loved to play together, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, There's Something About That Name," and then led the congregation in singing "How Great Thou Art."

Our associate pastor and longtime friend Rev. Terry Beckom read several Old Testament passages including the 91st Psalm, a very special passage Tim's mom felt the Lord gave her during a real crisis years ago when it didn't seem that Tim could survive. Terry pointed out that 60 years doesn't seem like a long life to us, but for Tim's body and all that he had gone through, it actually was.

Classmate Frank Seignious shared remembrances of growing up in Kingstree with Tim, and five descriptive characteristics of Tim shared with him by other classmates from Kingstree High School Class of 64.

Our pastor Bryan Slater read a letter Tim's daughter Angie had written, which is included in KHS More (click link under Links). Our tenderhearted pastor Bryan had trouble getting through it without breaking down and I think you'll see why when you read it.

I explained and then played "Tim's Song," a song that was written for Tim by a friend of ours in 1987. The words were displayed on the big screens behind the platform. (These words are also on KHS More.) After I finished the song the congregation gave me a round of applause, which I'm sure is rare for a funeral.

Tim's very good friend, Julian Young of Florence, sang "It Is Well With My Soul," pastor Bryan Slater gave the benediction, and the family left the sanctuary with the praise team playing and singing another one of Tim's favorite hymns, "I'll Fly Away. "

Charlie Powell, the funeral director, whispered to me that this was the first time he'd ever walked a family out of a church to "I'll Fly Away. " I whispered back, "It may be the first and the last, but Tim would have loved it. " And he would have. I saw smiles among the tears in the congregation as we walked down the aisle.

At the cemetery, Tim's cousin Denise Peace sang three verses of "Amazing Grace," and after the benediction a dove was released, to symbolize Tim's spirit in union with the Holy Spirit rising to join God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Angie had brought a CD she had made of some of hers and Tim's favorite music, including "I'll Fly Away," turned it on and let it play as family and friends lingered by the gravesite for a while.

I miss Tim dreadfully, but as I visualize all he's seeing and doing right now, I force myself to stop feeling self-pity. The Lord keeps saying to me, almost in an audible voice, "Look forward, not back."

We all still need your prayers, that whatever we do in the days ahead will be what the Lord wants, in the way He wants, and that God -- and Tim -- would be proud of us.

Please call me and stay in touch. Love to all of you,

Bette Cox, (843) 665-7620