Meryl Thomas Cox

Margaret Meryl Thomas Cox, age 96 of Portage, IN, left this world on September 4, 2025.  

She was born on May 2, 1929, in Swansea, Wales to William  Ewart Thomas and Sarah Olivia Thomas.  She became a citizen of the United States and lived the majority of her life in Portage, IN. 

Meryl was a graduate of Lew Wallace High School, Class of 1947 and went on to attend IU Bloomington. She married and became the mother to 5 children: Dionn, Karen, Lianne, Linda and Kevin. She earned a Bachelor's Degree in Education. She was a second and fourth grade teacher at Aetna Elementary School. Throughout her life she was affectionately known by many titles including “Tommy,” Mrs. Cox, Mom and Grandma Honey.

Meryl had a creative spirit and enjoyed gardening, painting and finding creative solutions to everyday problems.  She was a long-time lover of Lake Michigan and the dunes. In her younger years she belonged to the Save the Dunes organization and the Portage Art Guild.  She also received a Key Man Award for contributions to the Jaycees Newsletter.

Meryl was proud of her Welsh heritage. She brought history to life with her stories and passed on her creative spirit to her grandchildren.

The canvas she loved most was her garden where she orchestrated an array of colorful flowers for decades.  

She is survived by three children: Dionn (Garry) Finchum of Lake Station, IN; Karen (Ron) Larson of Palmer Lake, CO; and Kevin (Shelly) Cox of Chicago, IL.  4 Granddaughters: Lacey Finchum, Brittaney Ray, Sierra Larson, and Charlotte Cox and 2 bonus granddaughters: Kristina Vega and Cecilia Vega-Johnson.

She was preceded in death by her parents, William Ewart Thomas and Sarah Olivia Thomas, 2 brothers: Melville Thomas and Robert Thomas and by her 2 daughters: Lianne Loving and Linda Rogers.

Meryl was a trailblazer and lived a long and colorful life. She was dearly loved and will be forever missed.

A memorial service will be held at a later date.