Christine Ann Cox

She was born August 5, 1952, in Dixon, Illinois, to Laverne "Ted" and Ruth (Stickel) Bock. Christine graduated from Sauk Valley Community College and helped run her father's real estate office, Bock Realty, in Dixon Illinois. She married Richard Cox in 1977, and, three years later, they moved to Florida. There, they raised their twin boys. Christine worked for Tropical Plants of Florida as a "plant lady" -- a title she used to describe her job maintaining indoor flora for corporate clients. She was a vocal critic of people who poured their half-finished cups of coffee into potted plants. Christine and Richard made Winter Haven their home in retirement and loved spending balmy summer evenings relaxing on their front porch overlooking placid Lake Elbert. Christine loved gardening (but not the broken nails that inevitably accompanied it), doing crossword puzzles (in pen!), watching soap operas (namely the ABC lineup), impromptu dancing, making her famous Christmas tamales and sharing the story of the time she met Tony Orlando.

She always put others before herself and hated the very idea of being made the star of a story. That certainly would have been the case with this one.

Christine is preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her husband, Richard, who provided expert care and support during her eight-year struggle with stage IV lung cancer. She is also survived by her sons, Jason and Jeremy, along with Jeremy's wife, Jennifer, and their daughter, Charlie; two brothers, Terry (Julie) and Teddy Joe Bock; and several nieces and nephews.