William Jay Cox (Jay) was born on January 4, 1969 in Olongapo City, Zambales, Philippines. He passed away unexpectedly on February 5, 2024, at the age of 55, in Fortuna, surrounded by his family.

He moved to the United States when he was one and grew up in Hydesville with his parents ,Maria (Mary) Bangate Cox and William Ronald (Ron) Cox, and his two sisters Sharon and Marichu (Chu) Cox. In his early days he attended Hydesville Elementary School with his sisters and he also spent lots of his free time playing outside with his friends and cousins. After graduating from Fortuna Union High School in 1987, he enlisted and served two years in the Army from 1987-1989, at which point he was honorably discharged from his service.

After his service Jay traveled around the United States and held several interesting careers. He worked as a diver on offshore oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico, at an Air Base in New York, and in construction as a heavy equipment operator, all careers in which he excelled.

At the age of 26, after experiencing much of the U.S., he moved back home to Humboldt County and settled down. He then began working at Wildwood Feed Store in Rio Dell where he met his future wife. He was married in 1996, at the age of 27, to Sarah (Grundman) Cox. Jay and his wife welcomed their first child Madeline Jay Cox in 2001, their second child Bowdrie Jaxxon Cox was born in 2003, and in 2006 they had their last two children, the twins: Allison Alexis Cox and Chloe Aspen Cox. Together Jay and Sarah raised their family in Rio Dell.

Jay was also an avid outdoorsman and animal lover. He spent many weekends with his family and friends hunting and fishing. This passion for the outdoors led him to careers in both taxidermy and logging, both of which he enjoyed greatly. However, the career Jay is most known for, was his job as a hardwood floor installer. He truly enjoyed his career and took great pride in it. He was known for his attention to detail. Originally, he worked for Wise Flooring and then for Johnny’s Flooring. In these last few years Jay successfully ran his own hardwood flooring business, “Cox Hardwood Floors,” (as an independent contractor).

Jay was an incredibly hard working, authentic, and caring man. He succeeded in all aspects of his life. He genuinely enjoyed working with many wonderful contractors, tradesmen, and clients. Throughout his life he held a very dedicated work ethic and thus became a man of many skills. He had a “can-do” attitude and often said “Where there’s Jay, there’s a way.” This quote of his always held true as he was well known for his perfect work.

His greatest joy in life was being a father to his four children, whom he was extremely proud of. Jay had strong relationships with all of his children and spent much of his life supporting them in both their academic and athletic endeavors. Jay thoroughly enjoyed cooking for his family and made it a priority to take his children to lunch, so he could spend more time with them. He also supported his children’s hobbies; he particularly loved hunting with his son Bo, creating art with his daughter Chloe, watching movies with his daughter Allie, and working with his daughter Maddy. He was a wonderful father and never failed to make his children feel loved. His kindness, intelligence, and his witty sense of humor will never be forgotten.

Jay was preceded in death by his parents William R. Cox and Maria B. Cox of Hydesville, as well as his mother in law Allison L. Grundman of Fortuna. He is survived by his children: Madeline Cox, Bowdrie Cox, Allison Cox, and Chloe Cox; his wife Sarah A. Cox, his father in law Thomas C. Grundman, his brother in law John Grundman and wife Amber Grundman, and his sister in law Molly Gerbosi and husband Michael Gerbosi; as well as his older sister Sharon Cox and her children Hannah Biddle and Garrett Cox; along with his younger sister Marichu Cox.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Jay Cox’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.