Kenneth George Cox

Kenneth George Cox

1978-2009

Our beloved son, Kenneth George Cox was born on August 1, 1978. He attended local schools at Crest Drive, Jefferson, and Churchill.

From an early age he had a love of the outdoors. He spent his early days turning over rocks, building forts, and climbing trees. His first of many solo adventures was a week long trip into the mountains on his fourteenth birthday.

He was passionate about being active. He played a variety of sports as a youth finally settling on wrestling as his sport of choice. The commitment and challenges required to be a successful wrestler were a perfect fit for Kenny.

Prior to high school, he had only moderate success. His ability to dedicate himself began to pay off when in high school he won ten state championships and five national championships.

Often, success clouds your vision of who you are. Kenny never lost sight of what he valued most. His greatest achievements were not on the mat. His reverence for God, his respect for all people, and his love for family and friends, these will be his legacy and his greatest achievements.

After high school he attended the University of Oregon on a wrestling scholarship, graduating in 2001. He continued to be involved in wrestling and for the next seven years coached and/or taught at McKenzie, Pleasant Hill, South Eugene, and Spencer Butte.

Though passionate and effective as a coach/teacher, the constraints of schedules, stress, and demands led him to seek the quietness and peace of a schedule he created, not one dictated by his employment.

His desire to live simply led him to purchase a house. He spent much of the next four years working at his home and remodeling it. The bumper sticker ?All who wander are not lost? fit him well. In the middle of this time of home ownership, he left his renters in charge and headed to Mexico on foot with just a backpack. This seven month journey helped him establish even a stronger bond with family and friends.

People were always a priority with Kenny. His life stood in strong contrast to most of society. Ownership, accomplishments, and approval of others valued little to him. He was rich in ways those close to him understood. If you were around him very long, you soon learned about his uncommon ability to connect with you. He preferred inquiring about ?what are you up to today? as opposed to talking about himself. When done talking to Kenny you felt valued and affirmed.

Though most of his close friends had settled into careers and family life, Kenny was very content to explore life without this conventional path. In addition to loving his friends, Kenny loved his family deeply. He often called and traveled to see his mother and father and dear sisters: Christa, Lisa and Hannah. He was loved by his nieces and nephews: Gracey, McKenna, Emma, Lily, Colton, Jackson, Caden, Malachi, and Conner.

Soon after selling his house, he felt it was time for another adventure. On April 25, he arrived in Kauai, Hawaii. He made a special effort to see or talk to his family and friends before leaving. He said he was walking deep into this wilderness area to ?find direction for his life.? He had studied the area and knew of the challenges awaiting him. With only two weeks of provisions, he planned to live off the land for the remaining 8 weeks of his journey. Though few would enjoy such a trek, Kenny loved being close to the earth and learning how to live in concert with nature without the usual camping comforts.

We were thrilled when, after 70 days, he walked out of the wilderness to call his friends and family. He said he had attended a church nearby at the end of his journey. Motivated by a passage in Phil. 4:12-19, he directed his parents to remove enough money to pay half of their plane fare to come visit him along with 9 other family members and friends whom he also wanted the money advanced to encourage them to visit. He said this to say ?Thank you? for all the help given him on the remodel of his house.

We arrived to see Kenny on August 9 and had 5 glorious days with him. He was so happy and full of joy. His spiritual journey had started with a decision to be baptized when he was 9. He fully embraced his Christian faith. About when he was 16-26 years of age, he continued to have a reverence for God but distanced himself from Him. Through experiences he related, particularly since he had been to Kauai, he had turned back to fully embrace God and his savior Jesus Christ.

In Ecclesiastes, chapter 3, it says there is a time for everything. We believe God chose this time to take Kenny. We say with Job, the Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord. Thank you God for giving us 31 years with Kenny and then ushering him into eternity with you.

Kenny died on the way to the hospital on August 14, 2009. He died of an undisclosed severe respiratory illness.

Our family wishes to express our deepest thanks for support during his life and after his passing. Thank you for his dear friends, our church body at Berean Baptist Church, our neighbors and friend, and the greater wrestling community.

In honor of Kenny?s memory, a memorial fund has been established. Contributions can be sent or dropped off at Berean Baptist Church, 1210 Chambers, Eugene, OR 97405. Funds will be used to buy a park bench with any excess funds used to support the Churchill Wrestling Club.

Those seeking more information or who want to submit more information regarding Kenny may log on to his blog site at http://kenny-cox@blogspot.com

Finally, a tribute from his oldest sister, Christa: ?My brother Kenny Cox would be considered unconventional by some, but in all the areas that really mattered he exceeded our capacity.?

We love you Kenny, Looking forward to seeing you.Your family and friends.Please sign the guest book at www.registerguard.com/legacy