Jean Carol Cox

Jean Carol Cox passed away on March 26, 2026 at Briarwood Healthcare Center in Iowa City, Iowa. The loving staff at Briarwood, along with the guidance of Essence of Life Hospice, provided a peaceful transition for Jean’s passing. Born on December 15,1929 in Woodburn, Indiana to Harley and Alice Wearley, Jean graduated from Woodburn High School in 1947 and International Business College in Fort Wayne, Indiana the following year with a Private Secretary diploma. Jean continued her secretarial career until her children were born, returning to the workplace in the early 1970s. The career skills Jean perfected were evident not only in her professional life but also in her lifelong use of shorthand and her typing of letters to family and friends. Jean and W. Wayne Cox were married in Woodburn on June 21,1953. They moved from their first home in Fort Wayne to the Saginaw, Michigan area, to Hershey, Pennsylvania and returned to Indiana in 1975, living in Elkhart and then Goshen for their retirement years. With each move, Jean quickly established the loving household she and Wayne made for themselves and their children. Jean’s trademark cookies and pies, along with the meals she and Wayne often prepared together, provided a loving welcome to visiting family and friends. After almost 41 years of marriage, Wayne passed away in May of 1995. With many connections, Jean remained in Goshen until moving to Iowa in 2010, living independently until the age of 94. Over the years, Jean taught Sunday School in several Presbyterian congregations, assisted with vacation Bible school and volunteered weekly in the office at First Presbyterian Church in Goshen. In Iowa City, Jean was a member of St. Andrew Presbyterian Church and served at the monthly Free Lunch program as a member of the St. Andrew team; her days as the “cookie lady” are fondly remembered. Jean is survived by her brother, Robert (Sharon) Wearley of Fort Wayne, Indiana; her son, David (Geraldine) Cox of Fort Pierce, Florida; daughter, Barbara (Philip) Peterson of Iowa City, Iowa; grandchildren: John (Kayla) Peterson, Kara (Jeff) Wang, Rebekah (Tyler) Peterman and Daniel Cox; great grandchildren: Rose, Albert, Winston and Giulia as well as many treasured nieces, nephews and several cousins. Jean was predeceased by her parents; her husband; her sister, Doris Lausen and half siblings: Homer Wearley, Eileen Closson and Hillis Neireiter. Private graveside services will be held in Rush County, Indiana. Memorials may be made to The Salvation Army or Free Lunch Program (1105 Gilbert Court, Iowa, City, Iowa, 52240).

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Jean Carol Cox

December 15, 1929 - March 26, 2026