Steven E. Cox

Steven Earle Cox, 41, passed away peacefully on Monday, September 1, 2014. Visitation will be held Friday, September 5, 2014 from 5 to 8 p.m. at Hamilton’s on Westown Parkway, 3601 Westown Parkway in West Des Moines. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, September 6 at 3:00 p.m. at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 3301 Ashworth Road, West Des Moines.

Steve served a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He gained his degree from California State University Fullerton and spent most of his career in the insurance industry at Nationwide. Steve was active in the local city government serving on the city council and was very involved in his church service with Boy Scouts and other callings.

Steve experienced supreme triumphs but also incomprehensive suffering. He greeted every challenge of his life journey with resilience, determination and ingenuity with a fierce will to survive and prevail. Steve had a tremendous ability to always make people feel loved and had a tenacious desire for work.

Steve was fortunate. He was born into a big family that welcomed him with open arms and cherished acceptance. From the beginning, he was surrounded by a large group of people who loved him. Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles—each gave some unique part of themselves and all shared in the responsibility of caring for him. The importance of family was instilled in Steve when he was young and it served him well throughout his life.

Steve was very young when he moved to Iowa—a place he called home for most of his life. He had a typical upbringing—friends, sports, school, etc. His genuine personality, humor and confidence were just a few of his endearing qualities and people were drawn to him. He never lacked for friends. His smile was contagious and you couldn’t help but laugh when he laughed (even if you weren’t quite sure what was so funny). That gift, humor, was a characteristic he received from his Gandpa Cox (Papa). From Grandma Grace, he inherited a loving and caring personality and the confidence that comes from knowing who he was and staying true to his beliefs. From his mother, he profited from the example of hard work and steadfastness.

Despite living a great distance from his extended family, Steve was always included and involved. Weekly phone conversations kept him close to his grandparents and, whenever possible, he was able to spend time re-connecting with those who lived out-of-state. Some of his fondest memories were the summers he spent in Kanab with Papa and Grandma Grace. During those times, he was free to laugh and play with his cousins. His days were filled with riding motorcycles, jumping on the trampoline and getting so much red, southern Utah dirt on him that Grandma Grace had to spray him off with a water hose. Some of Steve’s greatest memories of youth centered around his time in Kanab with his family and made a lasting impact during his formative years. These experiences served him well later in life and played a pivotal role in shaping his personality and character. He cherished, respected and honored the importance of the family unit and remained true to the people who helped raise him. He honored the Cox name through his commitment to his wife and children and his legacy will continue for many generations to follow.

He is survived by his wife of 15 years, Carrie Cox; and two beautiful daughters, Emilie and Madelyn Cox; his mother, Dixie (Dick) Grieme; sister, Ashlee (Danny) VanSyoc; the Arzani family, Dave and Kathy and their children Bryan, Marc, Neil and Kristen and many in-laws, nieces, nephews, friends and family too numerous to list but not forgotten.

The family wishes to extend their gratitude to our close friends and family, the Unity Point-At-Home Care nurses and the Taylor House Hospice center for their support in his final days.

Memorial contributions may be made at https://www.youcaring.com/memorial-fundraiser/steve-cox-memorial-fund/228572. Condolences may be expressed online at www.HamiltonsFuneralHome.com.

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