ST. GEORGE — St. George trucking business owner Dave Cox was given a fitting sendoff on Saturday, with six of Cox Trucking’s signature blue semi trucks, their horns blaring loudly, accompanying the post-funeral procession to the cemetery.

Cox, who passed away at 67 years old on April 3 surrounded by his family after a two-and-a-half-year battle with pancreatic cancer, was eulogized during a 90-minute service in a packed auditorium on the Dixie Technical College campus.

“There was a lot of laughing and you know, good stories about him, and lots of tears, but it was a celebration of his life,” said Shanna Lelli, a consultant who has worked full-time on behalf of Cox Trucking for the past nine years.

Funeral speakers included Cox’s sister Karen Reber, his son Brecken Cox and daughter McCall Graff, in addition to longtime friend Kevin Norton. A group of his grandchildren sang “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” toward the end of the program.

Another longtime friend, musician Dan Truman of Diamond Rio, who was also in a band with Cox during their days at Dixie High, played a medley of favorite tunes. 

On display in the hallway outside the auditorium were an assortment of memorabilia from Cox’s life, ranging from his Dixie High Class of  ’74 letterman’s jacket, many family photos and even his trusty golf bag.

According to his obituary, Cox was told he had 90 days to live when he first got word of his cancer diagnosis more than two years ago. He reportedly defied those odds while enduring “an unimaginable amount of pain and suffering beyond what he let anyone know, never uttering a word of complaint and with a smile on his face,” the obituary notes.

As recently as just two weeks before his death, Cox had accompanied his family on a trip to Costa Rica, going ziplining through the jungle, golfing and playing pool volleyball.

Lelli told St. George News that while the Costa Rica trip might have marked the end of Cox’s bucket list, “There was no end of events with his whole family where he was able to make these amazing memories for his grandchildren and his kids. Knowing his time was limited, he made every single minute count.”

In 1990, following a successful career with Moore Business Forms, Cox returned to his hometown of St. George to join the family business Parke Cox Trucking Inc., the company that his parents Parke and Emily Cox had started in 1947. 

Under the co-ownership of Dave Cox and his brother Don Cox, the business now has some 125 employees, a large majority of whom are truck drivers.

Approximately two dozen people work in the company’s headquarters and administrative offices in St. George, Lelli said.

“The employees and staff, the people that worked with Dave, I mean, he loved and supported us,” she said. “We are all part of the extended Cox Trucking family, for sure. He was an absolute delight to work with.”

Lelli said tributes and flower deliveries have been pouring into the company offices for the past week and a half. Lelli added that she was also impressed by the turnout at Saturday’s service.

“I had no idea that many people would show up and be so moved and touched by Dave,” she said. “He was born here, he grew up here and he died here. He just knew so many people and he was beloved. What I would say about Dave, the biggest thing, more than even trucking, is love, adoration and support of his family.”

Among the funeral attendees were Dave Cox’s parents, Parke and Emily Cox, centenarians who recently observed their 80th wedding anniversary. 

To read Dave Cox’s full obituary, click here.

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