John Rizley Cox

John Rizley Cox, 76, of West Lake Hills, passed away in the early morning of December 24, 2023, with his wife Kathy at his side. John was born in Guymon, Oklahoma, March 15, 1947, to John B. and Lamoyne Cox.

John’s family lived in several locations during his earliest years, then moved to Houston when John was in the third grade where he attended school through high school graduation from John H. Reagan High School in 1965. John was inducted into the Army in 1969 and served until 1971, including service in Vietnam, 1970-1971. He graduated from Stephen F. Austin State University in 1976. John held IT management positions at Stephen F. Austin State University, then at Midwestern State University, then at Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board in Austin. He completed his IT career as Deputy Associate Commissioner / Chief Information Officer at TEA, retiring in 2010. During his time in Wichita Falls, he was a scoutmaster and took scouts to Philmont in 1994 and National Jamboree in 1997. He served six years in the Texas State Guard. He also served on the board of TASSCC for a number of years, as board president 2006-2008.

John loved music, and he and Kathy attended numerous ACL Festivals and concerts. When John retired, he left his suits and ties behind in favor of jeans and T-shirts. He was outdoors constantly, putting up greenhouses and owl houses (the owls came), and he took some amazing photos of birds, butterflies, and wildlife around his home. He couldn’t resist new plant shipments at the local nursery. He collected whimsical, sometimes silly, yard art to place among his extensive plant collection. He loved traveling through the Hill Country, stopping at BBQ restaurants, local bakeries, and, at Kathy’s request, quilt stores. John restored a 1966 Jeep to look exactly like the one he drove in Vietnam, and he loved driving it in Veteran’s Day and neighborhood July 4th parades. In rare indoor moments, he built and meticulously painted scale model military vehicles; even won a prize in a scale model show.

John is survived by his wife of 18 years Kathy, his four sons Matt, Andy (Jennifer), Sean, and Cameran (Lauren), eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. He is also survived by his siblings Jim, Jennifer, Jeff, Jeanenne, Jerome, Julie, and Jay. Our family is so very thankful for the compassionate, expert staff at Silverado Barton Springs who cared for John since early 2022.

From the last verse of Marc Cohn’s song True Companion, played at John and Kathy’s wedding:

Then when I leave this Earth

I’ll be with the angels standin’

I’ll be out there waiting for my true companion

Just for my true companion.

Memorial service is scheduled for Saturday, January 27, at 2 p.m., at Cook-Walden Capital Parks Funeral Home located at 14501 North Interstate Hwy 35, Pflugerville, Texas 78660. A time for fellowship will follow the service at the same location. Memorial donations may be made to the charity of your choice.