COX, Cameron Otzen, 97, of Montvale, NJ, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Wednesday, July 8th, 2020. He was born in Roebling, NJ and grew up in Brooklyn, NY. In 1968, he moved his family to Hillsdale, NJ. Cameron was a WWII Army combat veteran. His first overseas assignment was in North Africa under General Patton. Cameron participated in the Sicily Campaign and landed at Utah Beach during the D-Day Invasion. He continued to Cherbourg, and the Battle of the Bulge. He considered the highlight of his nearly two years overseas to be when the 9th Armored Division, of which he was a member of the 39th Infantry Regiment, captured the Ludendorff Bridge at Remagen, the last in-tact bridge over the Rhine River. His was one of the first platoons to cross the Rhine to help secure the eastern bridgehead on the German side. Cameron was awarded several decorations including the Presidential Unit Citation, the European African Middle Eastern Service Medal and Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster for having been twice wounded in action.
After the war, Cameron went to design school on the G.I. Bill and began a life-long career as a design draftsman. At the same time, he married and raised a family of five children. Cam loved to be in nature and relished camping and "deer hunting" (consisting mostly of drinking beer and hanging out with his buddies). He was also an enthusiast of sailing, aviation and black and white photography. He learned to fly and even bought his own Cessna 140 single engine plane to facilitate earning his pilot's license.
Cameron enjoyed do-it-yourself projects around the house and maintaining the family cars. When living in Brooklyn, Cameron would spend his leisure time at Breezy Point enjoying his sailboat and later in life he enjoyed flying and hanging out at “The Chicken Farm” airport with his pilot buddies.
Cameron’s former wife of 32 years Helen Marie (Guckian) passed away in 1998 and he is survived by their children Elaine Bragg of Mercerville, NJ, Marianne Taylor of Glen Rock, NJ, Cameron (Skip) Cox of Sicklerville, NJ, Eugene Cox of Louisville, KY and Regina Cox of Montvale, NJ. He is also survived by 14 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren. Cameron was a terrific father, a dependable role model and a caring friend to all who were lucky enough to know him.
The family will be holding a Celebration Of Life Memorial when his Grandson Colin returns from Army Training in several weeks. Please contact Regina at: [email protected] for info. Please share fond memories and condolences below.
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