Lillian Todd Cox

Join us in celebrating a lady whose life journey was a testament to aging with elegance and grace and whose beauty had no bounds.

Services will take place Saturday, Aug. 18 at 11 a.m., in Tallahassee, Fla., at Culley's on Riggins Road, with burial following at Roselawn Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 5 to 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 17, at Culley’s on Riggins Road.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Lillian Cox’s memory may be made to the First Baptist Church of Tallahassee, the American Cancer Society, or to the charity of your choice.

Lillian Todd Cox was born Feb. 22, 1907, in Quincy, Fla., the second daughter of Robert Todd and Jennie Ola Parramore Todd. She graduated from Gadsden County High School and attended Florida State College for Women, where she was a member of Sigma Sigma Sigma Sorority.

She married Thomas Henry Cox on Nov. 4, 1925. They moved to Tallahassee in 1939 and became members of the First Baptist Church, participating in the Couples Sunday School Class for many years.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband of more than 50 years, her sister Melba Turner, and her daughter Carolyn Cox Partch.

Mrs. Cox is survived by her granddaughters, Alyson Smith and husband Jeffrey Smith of Sugar Land, Texas, Carolyn (Candy) Cullison and husband Eldon Cullison of Kerrville, Texas, and Celia Cutler and husband Sewell (Spike) Cutler of Dallas, Texas; her great-grandchildren Justin Richard Smith and wife Michelle of Austin, Texas, Carolyn Smith of Austin and Tommy Cutler of Dallas; and her great-great granddaughter, Mary Quinn Smith of Austin. Other survivors include her nephew Fred Turner and his wife Pat of Jacksonville, Fla., her son-in-law Richard Partch and wife Opal of Katy, Texas, and many dear friends, including Motney Gray, Maxine Gaskins, Annette Lee and Leatharine Leon, all of Tallahassee.

In February 2007, more than 350 friends and relatives celebrated Lillian Cox’s 100th birthday at the Women’s Club in Tallahassee.

Mrs. Cox was interviewed by Barbara Walters in New York City for Walters’ April 2008 television special, “Live to be 150.” In addition, the syndicated TV show “Inside Edition” featured Mrs. Cox, along with local radio and television stations and other broadcast stations across the country.

Her wit and charm are on display in a 2017 Houston television interview on the Internet honoring her 110th birthday.

In November 2008, Lillian Cox was honored as the “Honorary Survivor” for the American Cancer Society’s Tallahassee fundraising event, “Cattle Baron’s Denim & Diamond Ball.” After telling the audience she was a three-time cancer survivor, Mrs. Cox joined the dancers on the dance floor.

She has been featured in several newspaper and magazine articles because of her longevity and her involvement in the community. When she lived at Cherry Laurel in Tallahassee from 2009 to 2011, her birthday parties were grand occasions, and her birthday celebrations at the Hampton were much anticipated events.

Lillian Cox worked in retail for 30 years in Tallahassee, first as co-owner of Nelly’s Shop on College Avenue. In 1957, Mrs. Cox became a pioneering businesswoman in Tallahassee, opening and operating her own dress shop, “Lillian’s,” on South Adams Street at the current location of the Governor’s Club. For two decades she defined her market and stocked merchandise to meet her clients’ needs, often selecting clothing and accessories at the Fashion Market to suit the taste of particular customers, and transporting new garments in the back seat of her car. This personalized service made Lillian’s a premier women’s apparel store in the local area until she retired and sold the shop in 1976. In 1973, she was honored by the American Business Women’s Association as its “Woman of the Year.”

Mrs. Cox was a member of First Baptist Church, Daffodil Garden Club, the Camellia Society, the Old Town Neighborhood Association, the Pilot Club, the Tallahassee Theater Guild, and the Monticello Opera House and was a charter member of the White Shrine and the American Business Women’s Association. She was a Life Member of the Tallahassee Women’s Club for more than 60 years. Mrs. Cox won highest honors in a Dale Carnegie Course.

A loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, Mrs. Cox made her Gunter Street home in Tallahassee a warm place to visit, and she welcomed her grandchildren and great-grandchildren every summer for visits. In her later years, her flower and vegetable gardens became her passion, “providing nourishment for both body and soul,” she proclaimed. She usually ate only two meals a day, and attributed her longevity to drinking water straight from the tap with no ice. She was known for her energy -- including singing and dancing at entertainment events at Cherry Laurel and the Hampton.

Mrs. Cox traveled extensively throughout Western Europe, the British Isles, the Mediterranean and the Americas. She also enjoyed attending church, her various clubs and organizations, home decorating, flower-arranging, gardening and visiting with her family and friends.

Lillian Cox was well respected in the community and was loved and admired by her friends, associates and family. She will be greatly missed.