John Roberts Cox died peacefully in his sleep on May 27, 2015, in Gig Harbor.

He was born August 21, 1922, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, the only child of Manford and Mildred Cox.

John grew up in Chandler, Oklahoma, enjoying the life of a small town and a large, loving extended family.

On the onset of World War II, John joined the US Army Air Corps as an aircraft maintenance officer and was stationed in the South Pacific Theater for the duration of the war.

Lt. Cox had many interesting stories and memories of that time, but his experiences only served to increase his desire to pursue his eventual career in engineering and aeronautics.

Returning to Chandler in 1946, he married his high school sweetheart, Dorothy Dean, and they proceeded to have 66½ years of happy adventures together.

After attending Oklahoma A&M {Oklahoma State} University and receiving a mechanical engineering degree, John was offered a job at the Boeing Aerospace Company in Seattle, Washington.

John's 32 years at Boeing took him and his family to Sedalia, Missouri; to Huntsville, Alabama; and back to Seattle several times as a part of the engineering teams for the Minuteman Defense System and the Apollo Moon Program.

He was especially proud of the design work he did on the Lunar Rover Project designing a mechanism that successfully lowered the vehicle onto the moon.

"It worked, and it's still up there!" as he would tell his grandchildren with a smile.

Retiring in 1981, John and Dorothy moved to Sequim, where they continued to enjoy many activities together.

For many years, they were active in the Coast Guard Auxiliary and First Christian Church of Port Angeles.

John also kept busy with multiple hobbies: his love of reading, keeping things fixed and helping and contributing to the yearly "Cox Chronicles," an extended family newsletter that began in 1942.

In 2003, when Dorothy became incapacitated with dementia, John became the loving and faithful caregiver for her until her death {2013}, a final separation that was very hard for him.

John is preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Dorothy; and many Cox cousins.

He is survived by his sons, Spruce {Elaine} Cox of Gig Harbor, and Dean {Dorothy} Cox of Silverdale, Washington; seven grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

He will be remembered as a man devoted to his family, his faith and his country — and with an appreciation for always being willing to learn something new and/or useful no matter what the circumstances.

The family would like to thank the wonderful staff and caregivers at Crista Shores Retirement in Silverdale and Brookdale/Clare Bridge Senior Living in Gig Harbor, as well as the volunteer hospice for the excellent care of John during this past year.

No memorial services are planned. Instead, a small ceremony will occur when both John and Dorothy are formally interned at Oak Park Cemetery in Chandler, Oklahoma, at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you instead make a donation to the Veterans of Foreign Wars {www.vfw.org} or the American Legion {www.legion.org} on John's behalf.