Bonnie Jean Cox

Born in Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada 26 September 1946 passed away peacefully at her home 12 August 2021 surrounded by her children, three days after suffering a massive stroke and brain bleed. She grew up in Coaldale, Alberta Canada on a farm with her two sisters, Kathy, Ramona and brother Ron and kindly parents Barr and Helen Grunewald. She attended school in Lethbridge and then attended college at the University of Alberta in Edmonton where she was enrolled in the nursing baccalaureate program. After two years she transferred to Ogden, Utah where she worked at the McKay Dee hospital as a Scrub nurse. She relocated to Salt Lake City with her roommate Joanne Stratford from Ogden and began her work at the University of Utah Medical center. She was superb at her job where she scrubbed with the neurosurgeons doing intracranial bypass procedures and the Cardiac team doing Open heart surgery with Dr. Russel M. Nelson. She and her roommates lived on Douglas Street in a basement apartment. Two young men roomed just up the street with Mrs. Squires a 94-year-old widow. Bill “the mooch” would hit the girls up for food while his studious housemate Charles was rarely to be seen. The girls called to invite Bill over for some donuts only to find out that he was gone, Charles was then invited. Their subsequent comment was that “Charles never seemed to stay unless Bonnie was home”.

Bonnie was a young attractive independent woman with a responsible job and her own car. The attraction was mutual and the romance sublime. She nor I originally had desires to marry quickly but with my acceptance to University of Utah Medical School she continued to work, and I attended medical school. Our marriage was on 16 September 1971 just 10 months after we met, and we were now just a month shy of our 50th wedding anniversary. She was an expert seamstress and made her wedding dress and many other dresses and costumes for her children all expertly done. She was a connoisseur of fine apparel and was a shop-til-you-drop kind of woman. Her closet is legendary! She would occasionally have her best friends over to shop at our home in her closet. Apparel, handbags, shoes, scarfs, sweaters, coats, jewelry and cosmetics, were her stock and trade. She was a formidable pastry chef with her poppy seed cake and her” to die for” chocolate eclairs. She loved to go to the beach with her friends and dedicated herself to her children.

She created a beautiful home for her family and decorated it as a very warm and welcoming place. She loved the arts and served as a docent at the Tampa Museum of art. She was active in her church and served twice as the Relief Society president under Bishops Strickland and Chadwick. She was loved by all who knew her, and it was always a pleasure to be addressed as “Oh! you are Bonnie’s Husband”. She was ever thoughtful to let everyone know who I was, but it was fine to be known as Bonnie’s Husband. The husband of such an elegant, compassionate and beautiful lady.

Her main love was her cats. She favored the Burmese breed. She owned several cats over the years a Tonkinese (cross between Burmese and Siamese); a Black Bombay (cross between Burmese and black short hair American). We had a Burmese Variant a brown Burmese from a cross between a Burmese and Black American short hair. She had two rescue cats, a Siamese and another all-American breed. The love of her life was the cat named Bug which was Burmese but was a runt of a litter and had some hearing issues but was her “Velcro kitty” and never left her side. Monkey and Elle were acquired as a pair. Monkey was a retired show cat winning the international honor of Top of her breed. Till Bonnie’s dying day they perched themselves on her legs or on her pillow next to her. They were a constant source of love and comfort.

Her true love was the love for her children. She, like most mothers, struggled to raise each of her children with love and kindness. Her bedtime stories were a constant demonstration of her devotion to them and a love for reading. Each had their struggles through life, but all remember the animated story reading at nighttime with their mother. Each of their foibles, struggles and pain took her to her knees in prayer.  The righteous prayers of their mother saved each of her children and binds them eternally to her soul. They are all amazing people with strong testimonies of God and our Savior they are all successful.in their lives, and marriages, all married in the Temple and are active in the LDS faith. Her eldest is a former bishop, entrepreneur, and C.O.O. leading his field in cyber security, her second, tops the sales at his company, her daughter mother of three an accomplished photographer, and her youngest an accomplished linguist, artist and father.

She was the youngest of her family with two older sisters 21 and 18 years older along with her brother 15 years older. She is survived by her older brother, Ronald Grunewald in Campbell River, Vancouver Island Canada; her husband, Charles Everard Cox, MD; her children, Jonathan Everard Cox and his wife Ginger, Charles Andrew(Andy) Cox and his wife Autumn, Sarah Elisabeth Meyers and her husband Michael, David Anthony Cox and his wife Heather; grandchildren, Maya Terry and her husband Brandon who are expecting Bonnie's first great granddaughter, Georgia Cox, Ryan Cox, Aaron Cox, Ethan Meyers, Charlie Meyers, Emma Meyers, William Cox, and another grandchild is on the way; her two cats Monkey and Elle. Her Sisters Katherine Brandley and Ramona Patterson both passed away within the last three years. Her Parents Waldo Barnett (Barr) Grunewald and her Mother Emily Helen (Helen) Cheney both passed within a few years of the arrival to Tampa.

Services for her will be August 28, 2021, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Carrollwood Chapel 2021 West Fletcher. Viewing from 11:30 until 1:00 with refreshments and funeral services will be from 1:00 -2:00PM. Shuttles to and from the cemetery for immediate family and those wishing to attend the graveside services will be made available for the service beginning promptly at 3:00 PM at Sunset Memory Gardens 11005 N US Highway 301 Thonotosassa, FL 33592.

A zoom broadcast of the funeral service Aug 28, 2021, at 1:00 EST

ZOOM ID: 894-4644-7145 PASSCODE: 558028

DONATIONS IN HER BEHALF TO: Tampa General Hospital Breast Health SEE BELOW

In lieu of [flowers/gifts], please consider donating to the Tampa General Hospital Foundation, in memory of Mrs. Bonnie Jean Cox. Contributions can be made online by

visiting www.tgh.org/make-gift and completing the online giving form. Please check the box for ["In Memory Of" or "In Honor Of" ] and enter Mrs. Cox’ name. You may also mail donations to Tampa General Hospital Foundation, P.O. Box 1289, Tampa, Florida, 33601-1289. Please make checks out to "TGH Foundation" and include Mrs. Bonnie Jean Cox in the memo line.

Victor J. Teschel

Director of Development

Tampa General Hospital Foundation

813.844.8620

[email protected]