Maureen Angela Cox

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Maureen valued her friendships tremendously. Once you became a friend, you would never be forgotten or abandoned.

Maureen Angela Cox was born in London, England, on December 17, 1936, to John and Nellie Howell. From her home in Davis, surrounded by love, she entered eternity on August 8, 2026.

She is survived by her son Paul (Caty), their children Liam, Aidan, & Nellie, daughter Catherine, son Philip (Laura), and their children Siena & Daniel, her sister Pauline Howell, cousins, nieces, nephews and other relations in Washington state, England, and New Zealand. 

Maureen valued her friendships tremendously. Once you became a friend, you would never be forgotten or abandoned. Her concern for others who might be suffering was the most essential, vital, and ever-present of her qualities. She touched many people’s lives over the years with her ability to listen, care, and encourage. Sparkles of humor were also fitted in! Her love, care, and hugs will be missed tremendously.

WW2 heavily impacted Maureen’s early childhood, and later on, at age sixteen, despite a promising intellect, she had no other option but to leave school. In 1959, Maureen and her sister Kathleen planned to spend an exciting couple of years working abroad in Canada. The result was that Maureen traveled all the way to Montreal, only to meet and marry a man who grew up not far from her home town in England. And with a job for her new husband, Michael Brian Cox, taking them to California, the anticipated length of stay went from two years in Canada to over sixty-five years in North America! 

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She touched many people’s lives over the years with her ability to listen, care, and encourage.

After years as a stay at home mother, she restarted her education, ultimately earning a Masters degree in Social Work from San Jose State. Her entire career was spent as a social worker, firstly in Spinal Cord Injury at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, then at Hospice of the Valley in San Jose. A lifelong learner, she enjoyed reading, book groups, continuing education, and quality public television. Throughout her entire life Maureen loved to garden. Her backyard in summertime was a profusion of blooms, her favorite, the geranium, ever-present. Maureen crocheted or knitted afghans for an impressive number of her loved ones and friends. Her Catholic faith was unwavering. She was active in her local chapter of the St. Vincent de Paul Society. 

In lieu of flowers, a donation to svdpdavisstjames.org would be greatly appreciated. 

An 11:00 am Memorial Mass and will be held on Friday, November 6, 2026 at St. James Catholic Church in Davis, California. Please join us for a catered reception immediately following Mass, as we continue to celebrate her life and share our special memories of her.