Joanne Lee Cox
Joanne Lee (Ostrom) Cox passed away at Hospice of the Valley, Friendship Village in Tempe, Arizona on May 7th 2023. She was born in Kansas City Missouri on September 5th,1936 to Reynold and Mildred Ostrom. Jodie, as she was often called by those who knew her, met her future husband Ronald Cox at a boarding house operated by her Aunt Helen. They were married on August 26th 1955 and then added to their family with the birth of their only son James in 1958. Ronald worked for the railroad and Jodie worked for Southwestern Bell before quitting to become a homemaker and raise her son. After working for various railroads for 42 years, Ron retired from BNSF and soon thereafter they moved to the Phoenix Arizona area to be closer to their son and see Ron's brother who lived in San Diego more often. Ronald passed away from Alzheimer's in 2018 and after caring for him, Jodie continued her battle with cancer. She loved her many friends and family (especially the Aunts who helped raise her) but her tremendous faith in God is what sustained her and gave her the strength she would need to care for her husband while battling breast cancer for 16 years. Jodie was loved so much by so many people and will be greatly missed by her surviving son, cousin's, niece, nephews and friends. Family encourages donations to the National Breast Cancer Foundation in her honor.
