Barbara J. Cox

Surrounded by family, the beautiful soul of Barbara J. Cox left this earth on August 5, 2025, after a 12-year dance with Pulmonary Fibrosis and one last tango with metastatic lung cancer. Originally given 30 days to live in 2013, Barbara proved the doctors wrong by gifting her family and friends with a dozen more years of her kindness, giving heart, and love.

Because Barbara was a fighter, her quick passing came as a shock and a deep wound to her family, friends, and countless others whose lives she touched during her 89 years on earth. She was born to care for others and to brighten lives, never backing away from something that needed to be done or someone who needed help. Kindness should have been her middle name.

Born in Urbana, IL in 1936, Barbara was the oldest of five children. Her family left the brisk temperatures of IL, when Barbara was a teenager, moving to sunny St. Pete, FL. She "mothered" her siblings while her parents worked long hours operating the Seahorse Restaurant. Two of her siblings were born when Barbara was a senior attending St. Pete High School. Her dates with Johnny Cox, the boy-next-door who later became her husband of 55 years, usually included her twin brother and sister, who were toddlers at the time.

Barbara worked at and retired from Clermont High School after 20 years and then retired a 2nd time after working 20 more years at Walt Disney World Co. She never slowed down in retirement, often exceeding the limits of what one might expect a woman of her age to do. Volunteering 40 to 60 hours a week for 15 years at Narcoossee Community Schools, Barbara dedicated her spare time to helping Vote Osceola Election Workers and the Narcoossee/Osceola County Historical Society. Osceola County School District nominated her more than once as "District Senior Volunteer of the Year." Sadly, at the age of 84, Barbara's volunteer days were halted by Covid in 2020; but her legacy will be long remembered.

Preceded in death by her husband, Johnny, Barbara is survived by her children, Jeff (Marcia) Cox, Mike Cox, Pamela (Mark) Holasek; sister, Charlene Harris; brothers, Dean, Phil (Allyson), and Charles "Bud" Burnett; niece, Michele (Ray) McGowan; grandchildren, Emily (Ryan) Phillips, Cameron Cox, and Peyton Reese (Will Santiago); and great grand-children, Maddux and Harper Phillips, as well as her beloved step families. Her family was blessed to be loved and adored by Barbara, and their taste buds will forever crave her fried chicken, meat loaf, goulash, chili, banana pudding, and grilled Hershey chocolate sandwiches. They will miss family outings to Walt Disney World with Barb's child-like excitement, singing songs in the car, decorating for Halloween & Christmas together, and receiving cards just because.

A Celebration of Life will be held for Barbara on Saturday, Sept 13th, at 11 am at St. Luke's Methodist Church, 4851 S. Apopka-Vineland Road, Orlando, FL 32819. The family asks that family and friends wear bright celebratory colors, not black mourning clothes.

In lieu of flowers, please make a difference in the lives of others. Some of Barbara's favorite ways were:

1. Donate books or school supplies to a teacher's classroom.

2. Volunteer in your community for a day, a week, a month, or a lifetime.

3. Send cards or hand-written notes to the people you care about...especially to those who need to know someone cares.

4. Donate to a local domestic abuse shelter.

5. Donate to Lighthouse of Pinellas at https://lhpfl.org/support to honor her mother, Helen Burnett, who was blind for the last 35+ years of life.

Because Barbara knew it was more blessed to give than to receive, her generosity knew no bounds. Although she is gone, she will live in our hearts forever and watch over us from above. We all celebrate knowing that she is free of pain, laughing and bike riding on the back roads of heaven shouting "Go Gators"!