Cox, William "Bill" L.

Submitted by June Cox

My husband, Dr. William Cox, better known as "Billy" to the people in Drew, grew up in that town, graduating from Drew High School in 1947. I don't know if there are any of his classmates still around that would be interested in his obituary. but, there may be a few. His father, William Sr. had a shoe repair shop on Front street and after his death in 1972, Bill's Mother, Ann, sold the shoe repair equipment and transformed the store into a clothing and shoe store. She managed the store until about 1997, few years before her demise in January 2000.  I remember when Drew was a thriving town and the streets would be crowded with shoppers until nine or ten PM on
Saturday night. Bill's parents could never close their doors before at least ten PM.

I had been born and raised in a "small midwestern town" of 35,000 in Northern Indiana and I reveled in the atmosphere of Drew, where it seemed that Ann and Bill and my husband knew everyone who came into the store by name. Bill, Jr addressed everyone as Mr. and Mrs so and so and they all called him "Billy" never" Dr. Cox". At the age of seventy, he was still "Billy" to the
friends and relatives of Mississippi. Truly it is a bygone era that we'll not see again.  

Thank you,
June Cox

William L. Cox, MD

Dr. William L. (Bill) Cox left this life October 26, after a lengthy illness. He joined his parents, Ann and William Cox, Sr.  

Born February 1930 in Mississippi, raised in Drew, a small Delta cotton town and encouraged by a devoted Mother, he became an excellent student. His undergraduate degree was from Delta State College in Cleveland, MS, and his first two years of Medical School at Ole Miss in Oxford . The last two years were in Indianapolis at Indiana University School of Medicine. It was here that he met his wife-to-be, June, a student nurse. November 20th, they would have celebrated 56 years of marriage.

Graduation from Medical School was followed by a year of rotating internship at University of Tennessee Hospital in Memphis, TN. He then enlisted in the Army to fulfill his Military obligation and was stationed in Mannheim, Germany with the 510 Tank Battalion as Battalion Surgeon. Returning to civilian life, his series of Surgical Residency programs prepared him for his life as a Cardiothoracic Surgeon. Five years at the University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham was followed by two years of Thoracic surgery residency at the University of Texas and Parkland in Dallas, TX. He completed his formal training by spending over a year as a Fellow with Dr. Dudley Johnson, world-renowned Cardiac Surgeon, in Wisconsin. Bill was certified by The American Board of Surgery, The American Board of Thoracic Surgery, The American College of Angiology and the American College of Chest Physicians. He was a member of the Southern Thoracic Surgical Association.

He began his Surgical practice in Arlington, Texas. After sixteen years as a solo practitioner, in 1980 Bill was enticed to join a Cardiac Surgery practice in Las Vegas. A Texan at heart and a loyal Dallas Cowboy fan, he nevertheless was glad he made the move to Las Vegas.
 Retiring after forty-five years of being on call, making rounds and operating, Bill divided his time between Henderson, NV and his lake front home in Medical Lake, WA. Despite his illness, this was a joyful period in Bill’s life.

 Surviving him is his loving wife, June, his sons Matthew (Denise), Bradley (Nora), his daughter Laura, and grandchildren William, Julie, Nikolai and Yvonne, all of whom reside in Henderson, NV.
 His strong personality and presence will be greatly missed and will leave a void in the lives of his family and friends.

 In lieu of flowers, a donation to MD Anderson in Houston, Texas for the continuing research on Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia would be appreciated.