James Bradley Cox

James Bradley Cox — Jim to nearly everyone who knew him — was born on September 1, 1947, in Annawan, Illinois, to Raymond Francis Cox and Grace Sady Moude. Brought home to Sterling and raised through his early years in Tampico before the family settled in Elgin, Jim came of age shaped by the values his parents and grandfather instilled in him: hard work, craftsmanship, service, and the quiet dignity of a man who measures himself not by what he says, but by what he builds and leaves behind. On September 28, 1966, Jim voluntarily entered the United States Army, serving through one of the most consequential chapters of the Vietnam War and surviving the Tet Offensive of 1968. He was honorably discharged on September 16, 1968. He returned home carrying things that could not be easily unpacked — a private reverence for those who did not come home beside him, and a deep, permanent skepticism of anyone who sends young men into harm’s way without understanding the cost. He loved his country and he honored his brothers. He did not confuse one with the other.

It was at Maple Manor Furniture in Huntley, Illinois — owned by a man Jim genuinely liked, Larry Strode — where Jim met Marlene LeVine, a beautiful nursing student from Chicago, and fell in love. They married, Jim purchased a lot along a country road in Union, Illinois — 9820 Stacey Lane — and built their log cabin home entirely with his own hands. He hand-dug a pool, poured concrete additions, and was up before dawn each morning clearing the long driveway of snow — already finished before his young son ever reached the bus stop, already a mystery the boy could not quite solve. Their son Chad was born October 14, 1975, and daughter Katrina on November 9, 1979. Driven by an uncommon work ethic and a refusal to be outworked, Jim built a distinguished career at Motorola that earned him a promotion and a transfer to Chandler, Arizona in 1986 — a place he came to regard as his dream realized. Over the decades that followed, he cultivated friendships that lasted lifetimes, none more enduring than his 45-year bond with his closest friend, Keith Stevenson.

After retiring from Motorola, Jim found the life he had promised himself for years. He spent summers at Bodega Bay, California, and winters at Rocky Point (Puerto Peñasco), Mexico — on the water, in the sun, at peace — with his dear friend who became the love of his life, Janet Goldberg. She was his companion, his partner, and his why. It was at Bodega Bay, in the place he loved most, that Jim passed peacefully on April 14, 2026. He had told his son for decades that when he grew up, he wanted to be a beach bum. He made good on that promise.

Jim was a proud member of the American Legion posts in Gilbert, Arizona, and Rocky Point, Mexico, as well as the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He honored his service not with noise, but with the full, quiet weight of a man who understood exactly what it cost.

Jim is survived by his son Chad Cox and daughter-in-law Christie Cox; his daughter Katrina Perez; five beloved grandchildren: Chanston Cox, Chloe Cox, Paige Perez, Sophia Perez, and Dante Perez; his cherished nephew Scott Diehl; his dear companion and the love of his later years, Janet Goldberg; and a wide circle of lifelong friends and fellow veterans who carry his memory with deep pride.

He is proceeded in death by his beloved former wife and mother of his children, Marlene (LeVine) Cox, who passed February 24, 2017; his cherished sister, Karen Diehl; his nephew, Stephen Diehl; and his

parents, Raymond Francis Cox and Grace Sady Moude Cox — who gave him every tool he ever needed.

MILITARY SERVICE

United States Army · Vietnam Era Veteran · Survived the Tet offensive, 1968

Voluntarily Enlisted: September 28, 1966 · Honorably Discharged: September 16, 1968

Member: American Legion, Gilbert AZ & Rocky Point MX · Veterans of Foreign Wars

SERVICES

Services and Celebration of Jim's Life will begin the morning of June 3, 2026 at 9:00 am with the graveside service and Funeral Honors. Celebration of Life and Reception for Jim will be held from 10:00 am to 12 pm at Green Acres Memorial Park · 401 N. Hayden Road, Scottsdale, Arizona 85257.

In keeping with the man Jim was, the service will include Aretha Franklin’s “Respect” — his anthem — and will close with the Lord’s Prayer, as he would have wanted.