William 'J' Cox, 91, died December 21, 2019, at his son, Lloyd's home in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

He was born June 14, 1928, in Jameston, Idaho to Harrison and Nellie Miller Cox, their 9th and youngest child.  He grew up and learned much about farming on their farm east of Shelley, Idaho in Jameston which the Cox family called the "Home Place". When he was 12 or 13 years old his father let him tend the sheep up in the foothills.   Bill graduated from Shelley High School in 1946.

William 'J' Cox married Karma Bean, daughter of Lloyd J and Millie Birch Bean on November 25, 1947, in the Idaho Falls Temple.  During their married life they lived in Woodville, Jameston, Monteview, Ammon, north of Idaho Falls where they had a farm and built a beautiful home on East River Road and also later bought his brother, Percy's condominium on Henryanna in Idaho Falls (lived there until Karma died in their Henryanna Condo on October 7, 2007, of cancer). Bill lived there for about 2 ½ more years.

Bill was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Through the years Bill served in numerous callings for the Church namely: Scoutmaster, Young Men's Superintendent, Counselor in Elder's Quorum, Elder's Quorum President, and was called as Bishop of the Ammon 2 ^nd Ward on May 22, 1966.

Bill and Karma served missions together for the Church microfilming genealogical records in New Zealand, as temple workers in the newly built Chicago L.D.S. Temple for one year, and also in Idaho Falls as Church service employment missionaries. Bill served as a temple ordinance worker.

He had an amazing ability to memorize and would memorize large documents such as "The Living Christ" or the "Proclamation to the Family" and could site parts of them without going through the whole document.

Bill has enjoyed fishing with friends in Alaska and building beautiful durable metal and log gates on the family range ground on Taylor Mountain.  Bill met and married Marcene Cook Nielson on 17 April 2010 in Idaho Falls.

Bill is survived by his wife, Marcene, of Idaho Falls; six daughters and one son:  Saundra Cox of Idaho Falls; Jenny (Hal Dean) Bateman of Idaho Falls; Rozie (Bill) Meyer of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Karlene (Nick) Tanner of Spokane, Washington; Kate (Dell) Tyler of Ririe, Idaho;  Lloyd (Ranae) Cox of Idaho Falls; and Leesa Wilde of Jackson, Wyoming; stepchildren: Ronald (Connie) Nielson of Clovis, California, Sandra (David) Hurst, Janice (Douglas) Watson, Bruce (Constance) Nielson, and Roger (Angie) Nielson all of Idaho Falls, Idaho; 29 grandchildren and 69 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Karma Bean Cox; his parents; brothers: Clinton (Norma), Percy (Irma), Don (Blanche), Bob (Doris) and Dick (Bonnie) and sisters: Nora Fielding (Les), Ila Allen (Stan) and Cassie Cox as well as one son-in-law, Larry Wilde and one grandson, Rory Mitchell.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, December 28, 2019, at the Idaho Falls North Stake Center, 955 Memorial Drive. The family will receive friends from 6-8:00 p.m., Friday, December 27, 2019, and from 9:30-10:45 a.m., prior to services on Saturday, both at the church. Services are under the direction of Coltrin Mortuary, 2100 First Street, Idaho Falls.