Jay Frederick Cox

Jay Frederick Cox September 23, 1957 June 10, 2014 Jay F. Cox, 56, of Devonshire Street, died on Tuesday, June 10, 2014, at the Gosnell Memorial Hospice House. Jay was born in Portland on September 23, 1957. He was the son of Beverly Cox Karantza, the brother of Wayne, Sibyl, and Linda, and, in his last year, the love of his dear and constant companion, Joanne Williams. His father, Frederick M. Cox, predeceased him in 1984, and his stepfather, Angelus Karantza, in 2009. His numerous cousins, including JoAnne, Gary, and Marty, also survive Jay, as well as many friends, stepbrothers, and caretakers. He loved them and knew they loved him. He was especially thankful of all the excellent medical care he received at the skillful hands of Drs. Devon Evans, Rajiv Desai, and I.J. Bristola€""and all the caring medical and hospice nurses and staff who helped him. Jay did not struggle with stage-four brain cancer for almost 4 years--he lived and grew with it, filling his life with love, friendships, and glad moments, not letting it define who he was or limit the light of his smile. When he was in Germany he was an electronics technician for the U.S. Army who worked on the early stages of the Hawk missile. After completing his service, he earned his Associate's Degree from Andover College and worked for NCR. He worked as a service partner for ServiceMaster for more than 20 years, and he will be deeply missed by Donna-Rae and the rest of the office staff. One of his proudest achievements was returning to work for them even after his diagnosis--and continuing to do so until April of 2014. Jay lived life according to his own expectations, not those of others, including doctors'. A former member of the Woodfords Club, he received his Christian education at the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, his secular education at Longfellow, Lincoln, and Deering High, and his life education from family, hard choices, and Tony's Doughnuts. Despite his illness, Jay was fortunate in many ways, and he had many chances to rewrite the flight plan of his life and start over. But as he grew in age and experience, he ultimately realized that our ground time here is brief. And so he got busy, understanding that the highlight of his life couldn't simply be accompanying on the piano his brother's trombone solo in the fifth grade. Ultimately, he discovered that his true love in life was of life itself. He grew closer to his family, was immensely proud of his nieces and nephews Marina, Clara, Rosemarie, Matt, and Jaeden, and clung close to the realization that his family was always there for him. His smile will be missed by all. A family viewing will take place on Thursday, June 12, from 12-1:30 p.m. at A.T. Hutchins Funeral Home, 660 Brighton Avenue, Portland, followed by a 2:00 p.m. graveside service at Brooklawn Memorial Park, 2002 Congress Street. To share memories and condolences with the family, please go to www.athutchins.com In lieu of flowers, please consider donations in Jay's memory to the: Maine State Society for the Protection of Animals P.O. Box 10 South Windham, ME 04082

Jay Frederick Cox

September 23, 1957 - June 10, 2014

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