County of memorial: Lincoln County
Location of memorial: 87 Old Alexandria Rd., entrance arch to Old Alexandria Cemetery, Old Alexandria
Date memorial erected: 1993
Erected by: The Lichtenstein Foundation
Robert was born: Troy, MO - November 1, 1926
Died: Wentzville, MO - May 1, 2009
"Robert L. "Bob" Cox served in the Navy - twice, during World War II and again in the Korean War. Afterward, he returned to Missouri, where he sold vacuum cleaners before graduating to cars and buying a dealership. He took up horse racing, became successful and lived on a street named for him.
"Mr. Cox died Friday (May 1, 2009) at his home in Wentzville, after a yearlong battle with cancer. He had more than 40 radiation and chemotherapy treatments but called off any more, telling relatives: "I can't win this race." He was 82.
"Mr. Cox was president of the Cox & Cohea Chevrolet-Buick Inc. dealership in Wentzville. He was proud of selling only American vehicles.
"Mr. Cox was reared six miles north of Troy, Mo., and graduated from high school there in 1944. The next day, he enlisted in the Navy. He served aboard a PT boat in the Mediterranean Sea during World War II. He was recalled in 1950 for the war in Korea.
"He took flying lessons after the service, and once landed in a field near the home of his sister, Betty Hunter, to give her a ride in a single-engine plane. "One ride was enough," she recalled Monday.
"Mr. Cox got his interest in cars from his father, who owned a junkyard that sold used cars in Elsberry. In 1958, Mr. Cox began as a salesman at a dealership in Wentzville that he later bought.
"He loved selling, and had the gift of storytelling that a good salesperson needs. Whatever he sold, friends and relatives bought.
""I have a Rexair and a Rainbow" - two brands of vacuum cleaners that Mr. Cox sold early in his career - "and I'm driving a Buick," his sister said.
"Mr. Cox and his high school sweetheart, the late Dorothy Ruth Cox, secretly married in 1948. She was attending nursing school at a time when the students weren't allowed to marry, family members recalled. Mrs. Cox died in 1999.
"Mr. Cox was elected to the Board of Aldermen in Wentzville and was president of the board from 1972 to 1975.
"He owned 20 acres of land and lived on a street that he wanted to name after himself. But City Hall refused.
"To get around a rule banning the renaming practice on streets with a single residence, Mr. Cox set up a mailbox next to his barn and called his second address Paradise Acres. The city renamed his street Cox Lane.
"Mr. Cox owned thoroughbred horses in California, Indiana and Illinois. He enjoyed frequenting casinos and betting on horses.
"He served a term as director of the Southern Illinois Division of Racing. In Missouri, Gov. Mel Carnahan named him to the state Horse Racing Commission. He also served on the St. Charles County Gaming Commission.
"He attended St. Louis University and Texas Christian University.
"Visitation is from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. today and Wednesday at Pitman Funeral Home, 909 Pitman Avenue, Wentzville. The funeral is at 10 a.m. Thursday at Wentzville Methodist Church, 725 Wall Street.
"In addition to his sister, of Troy, among the survivors are his companion, Marge Brandes of Wentzville; four daughters: Dixie Cox of Wentzville, Joni Dee Nichoalds of Foristell, Tammie Cox of O'Fallon, Mo., and Tracey Combs of Wright City; and three grandchildren.
"Memorial contributions may be made to the Old Alexandria Church/Cemetery, St. Stephen Methodist Church of Troy, Wentzville Methodist Church or St. John's Mercy Hospice, in care of Pitman Funeral Home, P.O. Box 248, Wentzville, Mo. 63385." ~ St. Louis Post-Dispatch, May 5, 2009