Bill is proceeded in death by his loving wife of 69 years Ovelene, his son, Bruce William Cox and grandson, Zack Morgan. He is survived by Belinda Rowe of Boston, MA, Jenny (Tom) Brown of Shelby, Ohio and Trish Finney of Cocoa, FL, five grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. Johnny Venice of Cocoa FL was like a second son to Bill. He leaves behind many other loved ones who were very dear to him.
Bill served in the Army Air Corp in World War II maintaining communications and electronics for planes destined for Europe. After the war he married the love of his life, Ovelene. In 1958 he joined NASA at Cape Canaveral as one of the original NASA employees holding badge #000005. He was an accomplished inventor for NASA and received several awards while there. Bill and Ovelene were actively involved in their church with Bill serving as deacon for several years. Bill was also active in Toastmasters and coached little league.
Bill's hobbies included repairing anything electronic--televisions, radios, DVDs, etc. He was also fanatic about recycling and believed everything could be re-used. When he left NASA, TODAY Newspaper did an article about Bill entitled "Mr. Fix-It". His curiosity and thirst for knowledge drove his useful as well as quirky inventions. He was a great Scrabble partner and the best teller of clean jokes ever. He always had a "tidbit" for anyone he met, leaving them in laughter. His joy of life and his faith in God made him a man to be honored and admired.
Visitation to be held Friday, March 8, 2019 at Wylie-Baxley Funeral Home, Merritt Island at 1pm with service to follow.
In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in remembrance of Bill to your favorite veterans organization.
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