Anthony "Poe" Cox

GARNER – Anthony “Poe” Cox, 86, of 1412 Kennon Rd. Garner passed away Friday, April 29th. He was a native of Onslow County and grew up on the family farm near Richlands. He was the eldest of four children born to the late Reuben and Evelyn Cox. Poe was a graduate of Richlands High School and attended East Carolina University for two years and received his diploma from Wake Technical College. A funeral service will be held on Tuesday, May 3rd at 2:00 PM at Garner United Methodist Church, 201 Methodist Dr. Garner, NC 27529. The family will receive friends from 1:00-1:45 PM prior to the service at the church. A private entombment will take place at a later date at Montlawn Memorial Park, Raleigh. He served his country in the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers for thirteen months in Korea and three years active reserve in the North Carolina National Guard. In 1963 he took his map making skills acquired at East Carolina and with the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers to Raleigh and went to work with the Highway Commission. It was his opinion if he could plot troop movement in Korea, he could surely plot a highway in North Carolina. Including permanent and temporary employment he worked 47 years with the North Carolina Highway Department of Transportation, 25 years as supervising Cartographer for the official state transportation map. Upon his retirement in 1997 his final map was dedicated in his name recognizing his many years of service. Upon moving to Garner in 1966, he became involved in civic affairs in Garner and Wake County including the American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association. He served as co-chair of the Wake County Crusade of the American Cancer Society and served on the board for several years. He was appointed a charter member of the Garner Public Library Board of Trustees and served for twelve years in that capacity. He served three years as chairman during two bond referendums that led to the construction of Garner’s first permanent library. He was a charter member of the Garner-St. Mary’s Health Authority, an organization of local citizens charged with bringing new doctors to Garner. He served as a chapter chairman of the N.C. State Government Employees Association. Poe joined the Richlands Jaycees in 1962 and transferred to the Garner Jaycees shortly after moving to a Garner in 1965. He went on to serve as local president and state vice president of the North Carolina Jaycees. He served on the Jaycee Board of Directors for two years. He was named “North Carolina’s Outstanding National Director” for his activities in government involvement. In 1969 he was named Garner’s “Young Man of the Year” and that same year was named one of “North Carolina’s Five Outstanding Young Men”. He was the first elected president of the North Carolina Jaycee International Senate. He served as the executive director of the Miss Garner Pageant in 1970 and 1971. His most memorable project was voluntarily entering Raleigh’s Central Prison undercover as an inmate to bring awareness to the recidivism rate of release after incarceration. After Hurricane Camille he coordinated a statewide volunteer effort to collect food and clothing for hurricane victims in Gulfport, Mississippi. He was presented the “Order of the Long Leaf Pine” award twice by the Governor in 1972 and in 1997, which is the highest honor bestowed upon a North Carolina Citizen. Poe was a member of the Garner Country Club where he played golf for many years and was also a member of the local Bridge group in Garner. Poe was the second president of the Edgebrook Recreation Park. He has left behind so many friends who loved and respected him deeply. He is survived by his wife, Jeanne Timberlake Cox; step-daughter, Abbey Timberlake and fiancé, Damien McKoy of Garner; sisters, Eleanor Cox VanAlstyne of Loxahatchee, FL, Alice Cox Brown and husband, Johnny of Richlands; grandchildren, Cory “Ethan” Cox, Zyrique McKoy, Adrien Hinton, Kodi McKoy; sister-in-law, Hilda Cox of Winston-Salem; as well as numerous beloved nieces and nephews. In addition to his parents, Poe was preceded in death by his first wife, Carol Cox in 2005; son, Anthony Poe “Tony” Cox, II and a brother, Orville Cox. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Garner United Methodist Church General Fund, 201 Methodist Dr. Garner, NC 27529 in Poe’s memory.