William Lloyd Cox

William (Bill) Lloyd Cox, 78, died March 9, 2017, in Madison, MS. He was a member of Northminster Baptist Church. Mr. Cox, (Bill) as many called him, was born to Louis Cox and Alice Sanders Cox in Forrest City, Arkansas. He graduated from Forrest City High School in 1956 and attended the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) for the next four years where he had an academic and basketball scholarship. While attending the University, Bill was recognized as an outstanding student and a real leader.

One of his honors included being a member of Omicron Delta Kappa, which is known as the highest honor that can be bestowed upon a male student. Other honors were Beta Alpha Psi Member (National Accounting Fraternity), Air force ROTC Squadron Commander, Arnold Air Society (National Honorary Military Organization), and Scabbard and Blade (National Honorary Military Fraternity). In 1960, Bill received his B.B.A. in Accounting.

Bill, while in college, married his childhood sweetheart Cecilia Clark and they became parents to one son, William (Buck) L. Cox, Jr. born in 1961. Later, in 1965 his daughter Mary (Cam) Cameron Cox was born. After graduation, he spent three years in the U.S. Air Force where he was an internal auditor at USAF in Washington, D. C. Upon discharge, Mr. Cox joined the practice of Ernst & Ernst in Memphis, TN and became a partner in 1974. Bill became managing partner of the Jackson, MS office in 1978. He was a member of the Loyalty Foundation, University of Mississippi Alumni Association, and a sustaining member of the H. Eugene Perry Chair of Accounting.

During his time in Jackson, Bill was very involved with Junior Achievement acting as President and Chairman. The firm was then named Ernst and Whinney due to a merger. In October of 1984, Bill became the managing partner of the firm’s South Florida offices which consisted of Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Boca Raton. Ernest & Whinney and Arthur Young (both part of the “Big Eight”) merged in 1989 to become the $5 billion Ernst and Young, a leading integrated professional services firm. Worldwide the organization has 65,000 people in more than 600 cities and 100 countries. The firm is essentially all over the world. Bill was the partner in charge of the Florida offices until his retirement in 1992.

He leaves to cherish his loving wife of 57 years, Cecilia Clark Cox, his son William (Donna) Cox, Jr. of Madison, MS; his daughter Mary Cameron (Keith) Bradford of Windermere, FL, three grandchildren: Clark Bradford of Orlando, FL, Rivers Bradford of Tallahassee, FL and Mary Sloan Bradford of Windermere, FL. Bill’s family wants to thank Yolandalyn Carter, Alisha Dennis, Deborah Lindsey, Olivia Morris (Nurse) and Glenda Whitney for their loving care.

Services to honor Bill’s life will be held Monday, March 13th at Northminster Baptist Church, Jackson, MS. Visitation at 9:30 am, service at 11:00 am.

In lieu of flowers the family requests that memorial gifts be made to Northminster Baptist Church, Ridgewood Road, Jackson, MS.