Visitation services for Herman Wesley Cox, 89, of rural Lawrence, will be held on Sunday, April 30, 2017, at Rumsey-Yost Funeral Home from 4 pm to 6 pm. Funeral services will be held at the funeral home on Monday, May 1, 2017, at 2:00 pm with graveside committal services to follow at Memorial Park Cemetery.
Herman was born August 23, 1927 at home in Pleasanton, Kansas to Wesley William Cox and Florence Westhoff Cox. He was the eldest of nine children: Willard (deceased), Fred (deceased), J.C., Verl, Loren, Loretta (deceased) Jeannette (Searl) and Bill. He married the love of his life, Bettie June Weems, on September 26, 1947. She preceded him in death on November 3, 2001. They had two sons, Terry (wife Helen) and Gayle; two grandsons, Logan and Dalton and one great grandson, Caleb.
He joined the Merchant Marines September 26, 1944 and served on a fuel tanker in the South Pacific. He returned home to Pleasanton on March 21, 1947 and was later married on September 26, 1947. In 1951 he went to work for Hercules Power Company and lived in Sunflower Village until 1953 when the family moved to rural Lawrence. Shortly after that, he was employed by Norris Brothers Mechanical Contractors as a union pipefitter and HVAC service technician. After Norris Brothers closed in 1984, he worked for his son’s company, Superior Refrigeration and Heating, until he retired. After his house burned down in July of 2012, he came to live with his son and daughter-in-law until his death, caused by asbestosis.
Memorial contributions can be made in his name to Audio Reader or Visiting Nurses Association, in care of the funeral home, 601 Indiana St., Lawrence, KS, 66044. Online condolences may be sent at rumsey-yost.com
