Robert Gerald Cox

Robert Gerald Cox, a longtime resident of Dallas, passed away peacefully at his home on Dec. 23, 2014. Bob was born on Jan. 21, 1928 on a farm near the town of Boone, Iowa, to Josephine (Sullivan) and Robert Emmett Cox. His family moved to Peoria, Illinois when he was a young boy, where he attended high school at Spaulding Institute and Saint Bede Academy in Peru, Illinois. He attended Loras College in Dubuque, Iowa, and earned a B.S. and M.S. in Geology from the University of Iowa, where he also pursued doctorate -level studies and worked as a teaching assistant. He served twice in the U.S. Army as a paratrooper in the 82nd Airborne, serving in the Pathfinder Unit and attaining the rank of First Lieutenant.

He married his college sweetheart, Louise Ann Regan, with whom he had five sons. After completing his postgraduate studies at Iowa in 1956, he moved his young family to Dallas to begin his career as a petroleum geologist at Standard Oil. He subsequently formed an independent oil company, which grew to become Cox Resources Corporation. He was a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists, a Certified Petroleum Geologist, and a long-standing member of The Dallas Petroleum Club. He was also a founding parishioner at St. Rita Catholic Church and a 4th Degree Knight of The Knights of Columbus.

He is preceded in death by his first wife, Louise. In 1992, he married Betty Pollard. They were married for 17 years until her death. He later married Stephanie May, who was devoted to him before and during the course of his illness, and with whom he shared a rich and loving relationship late in his life.

He is also preceded in death by his sister, Mary Frances Duffy; and his youngest son, Timothy Joseph Cox.

He is survived by his wife Stephanie; sister, Patricia Scherer of Peoria, Illinois; sons: Martin, Robert, Patrick and John; daughters in law: Marlene and Kathleen; grandsons Daniel, Robert II, Jack, Joseph, Paul and Matthew; granddaughters Michelle Chiara and her husband Chris, and Julie.

He is also survived by his stepdaughter Valerie Smith and her husband, Roger; step-grandchildren Stephanie, Elizabeth, Peyton, Colton and Davin, as well as eighteen nieces and nephews.

Bob had a remarkably engaging personality and love for life; he was always at his best when surrounded by family and the many close friends he made through the course of his life. He retained his wit, his charm, and his kind nature to the very end. In his later years, he took great pride in the many diverse accomplishments of his grandchildren.

Pallbearers are Daniel Cox, Christopher Chiara, Robert G. Cox II, Colton Smith, Jack Cox, Davin Smith, Joseph Farmer, Joseph Cox, Paul Cox, and Matthew Cox.

A rosary will be recited on Sunday, Dec. 28 at 6:30 PM at Sparkman-Hillcrest on Northwest Hwy. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Monday, Dec. 29 at 10:00 AM at St. Rita Catholic Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to the Louise Regan Cox Scholarship at Jesuit College Prep, 12345 Inwood Rd, Dallas, Texas 75244, or the Timberlawn Psychiatric Research Foundation, 6301 Gaston Avenue, Dallas Texas