Anne Rice Cox

Anne Rice Cox, 81, of Maryville, died Thursday afternoon, April 24, at her home surrounded by her family. For 25 years she owned and operated Cox's Hallmark and Cox's Bazaar, a card and gift shop in Maryville. She was born July 10, 1932, in Badin, NC, to the late Louise and the late Aaron Rice. She moved to Maryville in 1947, and met her future husband, Richard F. "Dick" Cox, in math class when they were both 15. She was a 1950 graduate of Maryville High School where she was a member of the performance and marching band. She was a graduate of Southern Methodist University with a bachelor's degree in mathematics. While there she was a member of the marching band and Alpha Delta Pi sorority. She returned to Maryville after graduation and was secretary at Broadway United Methodist, Maryville. On Dec. 30, 1954, she married her husband at that church. Until her health prevented, she was an active member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. In conjunction with her husband's tour of duty in the Air Force and work with the Aluminum Company of America, she lived in Rockdale, TX, Moultrie, GA, Lubbock and San Antonio, TX, Davenport, Iowa and Geelong, Australia. She enjoyed tennis, knitting, bridge and reading as well as just being in the outdoors. She was known to her family and friends as extremely kind, generous, loving, with a sharp intelligence and quick wit. She was preceded in death by her parents and by one son, Allan, in 1982. Survivors include her husband; four children: Richard F. Cox Jr (Donna) of South Bend, IN, Carol L. Cox and husband, Michele Benzi of Atlanta, John D. Cox and wife, Amy Harrington, of Washington, DC, Patricia A. Hatch (Michael) of York, SC; 12 grandchildren, Josh Brown, Jennifer Gribbon, Abigail Kingery, Callie Cox, Chaz Cox, Noah Cox, Joyce Benzi, Carlo Benzi, Sofia Benzi, Frances Cox, Key Hatch and Kelly Hatch; four great-grandchildren, Silas Tepper, Matthew, Kody and Scott Kingery; sister, Susan P. Rice of Maryville; cousins, Josephine Askew of Greensboro, NC, Pelham Bookout of Wilmington, DE and Earl Wagner of Lowell, OH. A memorial service will be Monday the 28th of April at four thirty in the afternoon at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church in Maryville with the Rev. Steve Mosher officiating. For family and friends, interment will precede the memorial service at Grandview Cemetery in Maryville at three in the afternoon. Memorials may be made to St. Andrew's Episcopal Church or to a favorite charity. McCammon-Ammons-Click Funeral Home, Maryville 982-6812 www.mccammonammonsclick.com