William R. Cox

William R. (Bill) Cox, 91, husband of Edna (Petters) Cox, passed away July 6, 2015 in Houston. He was born September 29, 1923 in Houston, Texas to George and Beulah Cox. He graduated from Milby High School in 1941. He earned his BBA in 1950 and MBA in 1957 from the University of Houston, and became a CPA in 1954. He had a private accounting practice in the Houston area for over 40 years.

He was dedicated to his profession as a CPA and volunteered his time to serve the public accounting community. Locally, Bill was the Director of the Houston Chapter of CPAs for 3 years and Vice President for a year. He earned the 'Meritorious Service to the Accounting Profession Award' from this organization in 1993. At the state level, he served as the Director of the Texas Society of CPAs (TSCPA) for sixteen years and Vice President in 1977. In 1984, Bill was selected from 15,000 members of the TSCPA for the 'Distinguished Public Service Award'. He also served a six-year term on the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy. On the recommendation of Governor Bill Clements, Bill was appointed by the Texas Supreme Court to be a Public Member on the State Bar of Texas from 1979-1982. In 1985 and 1989, he was appointed by Speaker of the Texas House, Gib Lewis, to state government commissions. He also served at the national level as Vice President of the National Conference of CPA Practitioners and national director for 7 years.

Bill was proud to be a native Houstonian and a sixth generation Texan. His service as an Army Air Corps bomber pilot in WWII mirrored the achievements of his distinguished forefathers. Bill’s great-grandfather served in the Confederate Army and his father served in the Navy during WWI.

Bill's interest in historical preservation was evident through his memberships in the Sons of the Republic of Texas, The Texas Navy, and the Sons of Confederate Veterans. In addition, he was appointed by the Harris County Commissioners Court to the County Historical Commission and served from 1975 to 2003. Bill was also instrumental in the preservation of the SS SELMA, the historic WWI concrete ship that has stood partially submerged in Galveston Bay since 1922. He served as Chairman of the corporation, formed by the late A. Pat Daniels and himself, that owns the SELMA.

In addition to his love of history, Bill was passionate about conservative government and supported political activities aimed at improving the government at local, state, and national levels. He was a founding member of the “C” Club in 1955, and became President of the organization in 1958.

His community service included four years on the Board of Managers of the Harris County Hospital District. Bill was also a Lifetime Member of the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. He audited the books of the Corral Club for several years, beginning when the “Fat Stock Show” was held in the Coliseum. He was instrumental in forming the first 'Membership Committee' to expand membership of the Show and was one of the original incorporators of the Bill Williams Annual Capon Dinner.

In his spare time and especially after retirement, Bill enjoyed spending time at the beach house he and Edna owned in Galveston. He fished into the early hours of the morning for sand trout and flounder and kept detailed journals of the number and type of fish he and all of his guests caught. Many family gatherings took place in Galveston where Bill would boil crabs and cook gourmet meals for his children and grandchildren. His grandchildren and great-grandchildren called him "Candy PeePaw" because he always had a few pieces of candy in his shirt pocket when they arrived. Even as adults, the grandchildren checked his shirt for candy. The grandchildren also spent time in their grandfather's lap where he would 'count ribs' - this meant trying to stay still while he tickled their sides. Again, this continued long into adulthood for the grandchildren. "Grandpa's chair" is now empty, but memories of time spent with him remain.

Bill is survived by his wife of 72 years, Edna, of Houston; sons and daughters-in-law, Bob and Debbie Cox of Brenham, Ken and Bonnie Cox of Houston, and daughter and son-in-law, Cindy and W.L. Dobie of Red Rock; grandchildren Ashley, Ty, Bart, Brandy, Ruth, Amber and husband, Mark, Will and wife, Heather, Adam, Crystal, Kyle and wife, Ashley, Kimberly and husband, Collin; great-grandchildren, Jade, Autumn, Chelsea, Shayna, Abigail, Kendyl, Joseph, Gwyneth, Alexis, Cheyenne, Kaiya, Robbie, Trey, Colton, Mason, Camden; and great-great granddaughter, Adalynn; brother and sister-in-law, George and Leona Cox; sister, Eleene Hancock; sister-in-law, Evelyn Petters, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, brothers-in-law, Frank Hancock, Wilbert Petters, Bill Kanak, and sister-in-law, Winnie (Petters) Kanak.

Serving as pallbearers are Ty Cox, Will Dobie, Adam Dobie, Kyle Cox, Mark Till, and Collin Weiser.

The family would like to extend special thanks and gratitude to Melissa Porter for the dedicated care she has provided to Bill over the last few years.

Family visitation is Friday, July 10, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home, 13001 Katy Freeway, Houston, Texas. Service will be Saturday, July 11, 12:30 p.m. at Memorial Oaks Funeral Home, with burial to follow.