Dr. Jeffrey Wayne Cox

Dr. Jeffrey Wayne Cox passed away on January 19, 2023, at the age of 69. He was born in Kansas City, Missouri on October 4, 1953, to Ray Edward Cox and Donna Faye Cox and grew up in the Kansas City suburb of Raytown with his parents and his brother Steve.  Jeff excelled at long distance running, beginning in high school cross-country, reaching a pinnacle as a member of the US Torch Bearing Team for the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics. Jeff became an accomplished artist, starting during his youth with his studies at the Kansas City Art Institute. Jeff graduated from the University of Missouri at Kansas City in 1975 with a BS in Chemistry and from The Ohio State University with a PhD in Physiologic Chemistry in 1979. Jeff published numerous scientific papers during his career as a research scientist at Midwest Research Institute in Kansas City, MO; The Upjohn Company, Drug Metabolism Unit in Kalamazoo, MI; and Genentech in South San Francisco, CA.

Jeff suffered a stroke in 1989 and spent the rest of his life working hard to improve his physical disabilities, relying on his athletic discipline and with the help of many medical professionals and therapists. He also began to focus on painting, with the encouragement of Kalamazoo artist Margaret Hunter. Together they painted two murals in the Parkview Hills club house. Jeff found his place at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts, where he studied pastels and watercolors. He enjoyed being with his fellow artists and working alongside them.

Jeff had many friends at Parkview Hills, especially at Lake Villa, his comfy condo apartment in the treetops. There he loved to listen to jazz and music standards often while painting. He couldn’t get enough of classic movies. Documentaries and travel channels were also his favorites. He kept track of baseball and football schedules, especially his Ohio State Buckeyes.

At a time when he was more mobile, Jeff was a member of the Third Christian Reformed Church, where he was upheld by many kind and prayerful members and where he established his faith and found his peace.

Jeff is survived by his wife and best friend, Linda; brother Steve and wife Jan; step-son, Matthew Missias, his wife April, and their children Elenie, Maggie, and Landon, residents of Traverse City, MI; also nephew Daniel Bizer-Cox and wife Liz; niece Emily Redmond and husband Thomas and their children, Will and Stella.

Many thanks to Dr. Luis Ortiz and his staff at Bronson Internal Medicine, for their kindness and exceptional care, also to the staff of Mary Free Bed in Kalamazoo and first responders who tended to Jeff.

A celebration of Jeff’s life will take place sometime in the spring or summer.

In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to your favorite charity or the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts.